What You Won’t Hear in Your Doctor’s Office: The Acupuncture Advantage

so in other words there's no one way and I might treat a patient differently than

0:05

another one of my colleagues who is just as accomplished um just you know that's

0:11

the beauty of the medicine is there's just not one way but it's really about how we see that

0:17

[Music]

0:27

person I am so excited for our first guest of day two of filming um we have

0:33

Dr Linda Fields here from Golden Egg acupuncture and our first acupuncturist

0:39

on the podcast um acupuncture has been a new introduction in my fertility Journey

0:46

that has been so incredible and amazing and I just think any resource we can offer here or any more information about

0:52

these supportive pieces of a fertility journey is so important so I appreciate you being here of course happy to be

0:58

here very excited to have this conversation um I would love for you to share a little bit more about yourself because I

1:03

think your journey aligns with a lot of what we talk about and you started out as a film writer and screenwriter is

1:10

that right yeah I was a playwright and a screenwriter I was a theater person I lived in New York as you do and uh then

1:18

was came out here and you know pounding the pavement as a creative person and uh

1:25

it it I basically wrote Fade Out in my

1:30

last script that I ever got paid for as I was in labor wow oh my gosh I didn't know that so we got to seek last week

1:36

okay so I didn't know that part wow so and then after that I with a little kid I I was like this is just not feeding me

1:43

anymore so I went and went back to school yeah and part of your journey was

1:49

you were you were always interested in holistic medicine but then you had your own medical yeah like a bit of a medical

1:56

crisis I had a a thyroid issue it was a hyperthyroid which which means the thyroid is working too fast and uh the

2:04

endocrinologist I went to wanted to use radioactive iodine on my thyroid which would destroy part of my thyroid and and

2:11

you know to his credit he said you can try other methods and I said okay I'm going to go see an acupuncturist I'd

2:17

never done that before um saw her she gave me acupuncture every week and herbs

2:24

and within 6 months my thyroid had evened out and he was like keep doing

2:29

what you're doing um and yeah and since then it became quite a um a passion of mine yeah so can

2:37

you share about your work and how and you work a lot in fertility um and what

2:42

that's been like for you just some of the women or men I want to talk about that too men's fertility that you work

2:48

with and the way that you work so what I find um particularly with um hormones

2:55

the hormones really respond uh very very rapidly and easily to acupuncture and I

3:02

felt that as a patient as well like if if I've ever gone in with like you know

3:07

when I'd have PMS or going through menopause or trying to get pregnant it was such an immediate response at least

3:14

in how I felt yeah um so I I chose when I went to school I knew that I really

3:20

wanted to focus on women's health and also potentially Pediatrics um and I uh so that has been

3:28

kind of my focus the full time um but in school you get a general education just

3:34

as one would going to Western Medical Schools so you know you you you graduate as a general practitioner and then

3:41

afterwards what you do with your continuing education what you do I went back and got my doctorate as well um

3:49

that really defines who you are as a practitioner uh so the bulk of my

3:54

practice I'd say about 80% of my practice is fertility some are women in their 20s who just want a little boost

4:01

some are women oh that I would love that yeah some are women who um in their 20s

4:07

who are having trouble some are women in their 40s who aren't having trouble you know just who just need everyone needs

4:14

something a little bit different it really runs the gamut do you find that the 20-year-olds are are coming in

4:19

because they're trying to get pregnant or you are you also seeing patients that are using this for egg freezing for sure

4:26

what percentage would you say cuz I think that's something I didn't even know about for egg freezing which I you

4:31

know I mean I did egg freezing so long ago but I think that's such again another supportive for sure um and it

4:38

you know the beauty of holistic medicine and uh Chinese medicine in particular is

4:43

that it really adapts to the person and where that person is on that day so for

4:48

instance if I have you know a 28-year-old come in and perhaps she has

4:54

um blood clots when she has her period so that would be probably something we would call blood stagnation we would

5:00

need to move blood um whereas if someone else comes in and they're really depleted and their energy is really low

5:07

and they're pale and potentially anemic um that's we're nourishing blood it's a very different protocol uh and every

5:15

time they come in it might be a little different so um you know some people come in and they're super stressed uh

5:22

and we call that liver chees stagnation and I had I had a teacher in school who used to say he was British he used to

5:28

say that liver chese stagnation was the LA disease everybody has it it's probably the New York disease New York disease as well it's the it's the

5:34

coastal disease um so in other words there's no one way and I might treat a

5:40

patient differently than another one of my colleagues who is just as accomplished um just you know that's the

5:47

beauty of the medicine is there's just not one way but it's really about how we see that person what we've been that so

5:54

much because and you and I spoke about this when we connected last week was just in in like Western medicine

6:01

traditional it's like I think sometimes that personalization is missing that there's they have their protocols and

6:07

it's kind of can be like conveyor belts like cookie cut or not like personalized

6:13

or tailor to the to the person and I think having another space that can I

6:18

know for me my experience with my acupuncturist it is so personalized like she sits with me she talks with me she

6:24

has been almost like a therapeutic space because you know and I don't think that my doctor would want to be able to do

6:30

that I don't think they have the time to do that so I love that there's that personalized component to it for sure

6:36

and and that is so much of what we do so much is the talking because in the

6:41

talking there's there's it's so therapeutic but also we learn so much yeah um and we learn and and but I will

6:49

say for the process of of working with an re um sometimes they do need a few

6:57

Cycles to get to know your body so I there are some doctors with whom I work who may do the tri typical protocol the

7:04

first time and then they'll go wow this person didn't respond as I hoped they would let's change that up but that's

7:11

kind of yes that makes a lot of sense to me but I guess that's kind of frustrating as a woman that's like wants

7:19

is impatient and wants it to work and I think that's important to know I never knew that but it makes a lot of sense

7:25

cuz you're just like you know sometimes if it doesn't work you're like Why didn't it work right first time and so

7:31

having this little like information about the take for sure yeah I mean sometimes all of the big medication for

7:38

some women and I notice as women get older their body just turns off and their body's like I'm not doing any of

7:43

this so then they the doctors have to go back to the drawing board and maybe do something simple like Clomid or or and

7:50

they call that mini IVF um you know where it's just a a very light dose they're not going to get a billion eggs

7:56

but we don't want that many um but they're probably going to get more than they would have with the major protocol

8:03

wow um and this is a you know I look at this in terms of holistic medicine where

8:09

sometimes the Gentle Touch creates creates abundance so oh interesting

8:16

interesting one of the things the conversations I had with my acupuncturist and also with you is that

8:21

in your training you learn more about like the medications and but in their training they don't learn so much about

8:27

what you guys are learning will say um so yeah so in our general training we

8:33

learn the basic medications so not necessarily the fertility medications but you know like all the medications

8:39

for you know high cholesterol and and blood pressure and you know all of the major things that the our general

8:46

population is on um then in yes in in postwork is for me is where I've I've

8:54

learned on the job I learned from going through fertility treatments myself want you to share here about you it's a you

9:00

know and then and you put all the pieces together and then basically all of my doctoral studies and my continuing

9:06

education have been F you know fertility or women's health related so you learn a

9:11

lot for instance in general you know in in the general school for Chinese

9:17

medicine which is generally four years and it's it's it's brutal um you you may

9:23

learn you know what estrogen does and what progesterone does and maybe what luteinizing hormone is but probably not

9:28

what amh is amh is way more of a Reproductive Medicine term it's notary to know that

9:36

unless you're really going through a retrieval right um so so yeah it's uh we

9:43

learned a lot and yes in most medical schools they're they're learn maybe getting one day of of holistic medicine

9:51

my niece was in medical school at tus University and she sent me you know pictures of the power one day here's the

9:58

one PowerPoint and they get about 15 hours of nutrition class I I could be wrong but not they do not get nearly as

10:04

much how do you think there is not and do you think that there is going to be a trend or progression to to more of a

10:10

whole like a think that medical schools are going to be F focusing more they

10:15

already are you know I see that with with you know younger Generations that are coming out and learning more about

10:23

um holistic you know just how to treat people you know or or a lot of people are getting their do instead which is

10:31

definitely more uh grounded what is the D it's the it's it's t typically called

10:37

I think doctor of osteopathy okay um but what it is is it's just I find that

10:42

those practitioners are more open to um alternative medicine what they don't

10:49

learn is herbs and and you know we hear sometimes herbs are you know not all

10:55

herbs are created equal so um a lot of doctors including fertility doctors are

11:00

not keen on patients being on herbs during a retrieval or a transfer that's

11:05

what gets confusing and for my own experience like I I'm learning a lot just from doing this podcast we had a

11:11

couple fer fertility nutritionists on and shared a lot about different supplements or herbs and you know and

11:18

then my acupuncturist recommended one thing and then my doctor said no on that and so the confusion is just you know

11:25

when you're going through all that stuff too you want to do I'll speak for myself you want to do everything right you want to make sure you do everything that you

11:31

can and take all the right things and so that disconnect of like someone over here is telling me this my doctor is

11:37

saying no and then I was just like paralyzed on what I should do right and that is really hard especially for what

11:45

you're going through you know that you were dealing with women who want something so badly and they can't seem

11:50

to get it and they thought they could get it and so there's so much attached to feeling this lack a sense of lack and

11:58

what's wrong with me and then suddenly they're getting different voices from everywhere and they you know so I always

12:05

say you need a quarterback and you need a team and you need to feel supported and if I can be part of that I I will be

12:12

you know just as you are for your clients I'm absolutely well yeah I think that's important to talk about is the

12:18

support system because I think it's so intrical in just the success of maybe

12:23

not just the success because so much of it you can't control the outcome but just how you feel going through the process and when I was going through and

12:29

I shared this with you when I was going through my first transfer I was not in a place where I felt supported I was not

12:35

in a place where I felt heard or communicated with and thank God for my acupuncturist who also had knowledge in

12:43

like the medical fertility terms and all these things she was the one that would answer my questions she would was the

12:49

one that asked about my thyroid or all these things and could relay information to me that like nobody was saying and so

12:57

that for me was so helpful to have her but the second time around I had her I

13:03

had friends I had you know a therapist I was working with I put different pieces in place and for me well also the

13:10

outcome was different thank God but for me the experience was so different I know you and I talked about the how

13:17

important the support system it's so important in in this culture especially when women are or people I will say are

13:24

looking online and and trying to listen to the advice everybody gives everyone

13:30

else or hearing other people's stories and they lose sense of themselves and they get out of their Lane and you know

13:37

it's uh I mean it happens to all of us it happens to me all the time and it's just I always I learn so much from my

13:43

patients because I have to help them walk the walk and then it it brings me

13:48

back also oh my gosh I'm the same as as therapist like I'll be in session I'll hear myself say something I'm like yeah

13:54

that's really good I'm going to I'm going to I'm going to follow that for myself yeah I mean I always to say that

13:59

I I learn as much from from the people who come into my office as they do from

14:05

me I think I do you know I find them I find them my clients so inspiring because they come in and they're so

14:10

committed to the work and working on themselves and like that motivates me and inspires me so I share that same

14:16

sentiment and I think it's so I'm so grateful to do this kind of work me too it's just so fulfilling it's a you know

14:24

if what the day I get you know a picture of the positive pregnancy test or the baby you know the baby just having been

14:30

born it's it's it's so overwhelmingly satisfying and um you know it always

14:37

feels like you know it's so it's it's in I always try to feel like I'm doing good

14:44

in the world and and that is a um that is a clear sign yeah and I think well

14:52

okay one of the questions I wanted to ask cuz I I think it'll be very helpful for the audience and I think we've already touched on some of that but is

14:57

what what should some look for when they're looking for an acupuncturist so there are there are different ways to go

15:03

to go about it I would say first reach out to your people you know so I think about how people found me and so they've

15:11

there's been different Roots there there are Mommy groups on like Facebook um there are friends who've been through it

15:17

before there's um often I'm also on lists of many doctors in in town so you

15:23

can ask your fertility doctor and see if they have a list you can also go online and just put in INF fertility

15:30

acupuncture um there is uh there is a group called abor a o

15:37

rm.org and it's the acupuncture Board of Reproductive Medicine and so those

15:43

people are fellows of abor and they have been through all of most of the continu

15:49

education yeah um and uh so that's that's a great a great place to look but

15:55

I say you know first reach out to your people um and and but there are parts of

16:01

this country where you may not find an acupuncturist who specializes in fertility yes he had mentioned that yeah

16:07

so the good news is we're all trained to move blood to nourish blood to calm the

16:12

nervous system so even if they don't quite know the terminology they're still

16:17

going to do good yeah so never fear anyone out there who can't find a fertility acupuncturist um you you know

16:24

you'll find someone yeah and those are great resources or ways you've already shared here um um one of the things for

16:30

me I and I think um in same for finding a therapist is also I think it's

16:35

important to find the right fit because I think the relational relational piece is so important in finding someone like

16:42

yourself that really cares and wants to know like and gets excited about seeing like the journey and hopefully the

16:48

success of the journey when I first went to I knew nothing really about acupuncture and I actually I had learned

16:54

from one of my clients that was going through F fertility that she was doing acupuncture so I was like I want to do all the things I want to like do all the

17:00

things to set myself up for Success so I just Googled a place and I didn't I

17:06

didn't know that there was this relational piece to it that's so important I just sort of thought like

17:11

they put the needles in they leave the room they come back and so when I started at my uh acupuncturist practice

17:17

I saw a different practitioner and she was good and she was nice enough but I

17:23

didn't connect with her and I think that's important I think the connection still with acupun is is important really

17:29

to have that and so by Chance the woman I was seeing the schedules didn't align

17:35

so I saw Andrea who's my acupuncturist now and it was just like we connected right away and in my first transfer a

17:41

lot of people didn't know but she knew and she texted me the morning of the transfer she's always checking in on me

17:47

when I you know she was one of the first people I texted when I found out I got good news about the second transfer

17:53

she's like thank you so much for holding our breath here but um um yeah and she I

18:00

would I asked her like you know what got my first beta is that good I got my second beta I texted her so I just think

18:07

for me I didn't realize going in that the relational piece is so important too I think you know it's looking for a

18:14

therapist you know you're looking for that but I would say that that's important too it's incredibly intimate

18:19

yes and um I experienced that firsthand when I first started working I was working for someone who basically became

18:27

my mentor special ized in fertility and um but we're very different people you

18:32

know if you think of like the yin and yang of the world she's more Yang I'm more Yin and so the people she was

18:39

treating were perhaps not going to resonate as well with me and somehow another the right people found me and

18:45

they found her sometimes they switched back and forth um it's a really interesting Rhythm so it kind of ended

18:51

up like like what happened with you where some people may have have really resonated more with the first

18:57

practitioner you saw but everybody's different yeah yeah but just keeping that piece in mind and finding the right fit and it's not in

19:04

the same as therapy like I always tell people if after a few sessions you don't feel that connection like it's okay to

19:09

change you know we're not offended it's really about that fit I want to ask you more specifically like what are the

19:15

benefits of acupuncture for fertility like what is happening what are the protocols like how is it helpful it's

19:22

it's helpful in so many ways I I always say it can never hurt um you know especially if you're obviously you're

19:28

going to be looking for a licensed acupuncturist and not somebody who just found needles and sticking them in you

19:35

um it's you it it is number one I think it just um you want the body in a

19:42

receptive Place uh for the for retrieval for a transfer for natural pregnancy for

19:50

IUI for a healthy preg you know a healthy pregnancy that's what we want healthy pregnancy healthy outcome right

19:57

um so the nervous system um making sure the the body is nourished and in the the

20:04

best of health we want well-being you know and so for everyone it's a little different I might have a patient who's

20:10

an athlete who's really in really great shape but when I check her pulse or look

20:16

at her tongue yeah what is happening there because yeah what are you checking for CU I know that's like every before

20:21

we start she texts my pulse ask me to I we just don't know what are you sure so we ask a billion questions and there's a

20:28

reason for all of our questions and then we also check the pulse we um we're trained to check the pulse just like a

20:34

western doctor would you know beats per minute but we're also trained to feel the quality of the blood going through

20:40

the vessels and each and there's there's three there's three areas on this side and three areas on this side that all

20:46

represent different organ systems and we can tell we can tell and and some of the

20:51

terms are used also in Western medicine so like if a if a pulse is thready um or

20:57

a pulse is wiry if it's wiry they say it feels like a guitar string oh my go

21:02

that's stress if a pulse is like they call it slippery which they say feels like pearls in a bowl that's what we

21:09

call damp which usually is related to inflammation um but you can really pinpoint where it's happening so yeah

21:15

you may get someone who's really fit and who seems like they're in the best of shape and their pulse is like and

21:22

they're you can tell they're depleted um that's incredible that you can tell all that yeah and then with the tongue you

21:28

also can the tongue is connected obviously to the digestive system and the gut is connected to everything else

21:34

so we're looking at the the texture of the tongue the color of the tongue the S everything and it just gives us so much

21:40

information that's that's so fascinating to me yeah and there are always say there are pulse Masters in in in China

21:48

ancient pulse Masters who can tell a woman that she's pregnant before a pregnancy test can I can't do that and

21:53

the pulse yeah oh my gosh yeah cuz the pulse gets more slippery and Rapid when

21:59

when we're pregnant and it get because the there's more blood flow and so it's just Fuller I always say it goes from

22:06

like feeling like you know angel hair or spaghetti uh to like Linguini you know

22:11

that's so cool to know cuz I literally before you sharing that had no idea what she was checking my pulse for or

22:17

checking my tongue for you could probably even check your own pulse and and although you don't know what it felt like prior to being pregnant but it

22:23

probably feels different now I was like check my pulse I will I'm happy to

22:30

are there are there different protocols I guess it's it definitely sounds obviously specific to each person but is there something different you would do

22:36

for a woman that's coming in for egg freezing versus a woman that's coming in for implantation yeah so um egg freezing

22:44

is you know we're prepping the body for to work with the stems and so we are

22:50

both my goal is to both support the body as it's going through the stem process

22:56

um so because sometimes we're out of whack they can be in ohss they can be or they might not be responding at all so

23:03

the stim process being the medications and all that okay for the retrieval um

23:08

if we're prepping for a transfer it's very different uh the transfer is really about getting the body in that receptive

23:15

place and making sure we're creating a beautiful blood flow so we have a nice thick lining um often will'll attend

23:21

transfers which I know I mentioned we mentioned in our discussion um and do a

23:27

treatment before and after yes let's talk about that because I also didn't know that prior to you know going to

23:33

acupuncture but and that piece is incredible cuz it's just again you have this touch point with somebody you have

23:38

a relationship with you feel like you're doing something really helpful for your body something that hopefully is going to make the transfer successful but like

23:46

yeah before 24 hours before and 24 hours after is the protocol for if if you can

23:51

be at the transfer it's even better but um it's because it's based on it's based

23:57

on a a study that was done in Germany in the early 2000s where they took um over

24:03

I can't remember the exact number they took many women who were going through transfers and half of them had this protocol right before and right after

24:10

and half of them did not and those that did had a um much higher success rate of

24:16

healthy pregnancy live birth I think it was like 16 to 19% I can't remember but

24:21

it's only gotten better since then wow and I believe because of that study so

24:26

many um Rees are very Pro adding acupuncture some actually even have

24:32

acupunctur in their offices I love that I think that's great I think there should also be a therapist in the office I totally agree um but some do it so

24:39

during covid when we they weren't allowing a lot of people in for the transfers I had a lot of patients coming

24:45

to my office right before and right after and those were greatly successful so I still do a lot of those as well

24:52

it's nice when you have someone there because they can advocate for you they it can but it doesn't it doesn't NE it's

24:58

not completely necessary so yeah yeah and my acupuncturist is just so

25:03

wonderful that like she just made it happen you know it's like cuz you sometimes you don't know when the

25:09

exactly you know can't plan exactly when the transfer is going to be and they have their own lives and their own schedules and she was so wonderful she

25:15

always like made cuz there was angst around that like can I get in does she have time but she always made time for

25:20

me that's amazing she sounds fantastic she is fantastic somay I'll meet her yes you will and she'll be on here too but

25:27

um one thing we talked about a couple other things I want to talk about that we talked about on our call was sort of this shame around fertility and

25:36

pregnancy or like you know the messaging of like be everything but pregnant and then you try to get pregnant and just

25:42

this narrative that it's so easy to get pregnant right or that you know in in terms of egg retrieval that like you go

25:48

in and you just expect to be successful and you might you know only get a few number few eggs yeah I mean to you know

25:56

first with with the shame I think yeah young young girls young women are told you can be anything but pregnant um and

26:03

so I think a lot of women whether they get pregnant early on in their lives or not um they there is a certain amount of

26:10

Shame associated with that so they're like I'm going to bypass that and do everything else and then suddenly they

26:15

wake up one day and think wow I really I really want to do this now and but they've sent messages to their bodies

26:21

sometimes for 20 plus years oh my gosh yes and we hold all that stuff we hold all of that totally yeah so

26:29

um there's that and uh I think that sometimes it's just and then yes and

26:35

then because a lot of women a lot of our my patients are overachievers type A you

26:40

know so many of us are yes so many of us are all of us are um we expect that then

26:45

our bodies are going to respond I know um but then you have so you either have people who maybe retrieve fewer eggs

26:52

than they thought um or I've had you know for instance I have a patient who had 60 eggs retrieved

26:59

finally made them into embos not one of them tested all of them tested abnormal

27:05

um oh my gosh devastating yeah totally devast I read I don't know if you know the book motherhood on Ice by Marsha

27:11

inhorn she has so many stories in there like that that these women have Frozen their eggs they think they've you know

27:17

they have the insurance policy they have you know made this incredible choice to preserve their fertility and they go

27:23

back however many years later to use them and they're just not I think well the freezing process has

27:30

gotten much better um than it was I think it was like 2015 when it basically they're like in suspended animation more

27:36

than Frozen now um but it and I do think it's a great insurance policy and I

27:42

think any women out there who are like you know can do it should freeze their

27:47

eggs you know if you can yeah um but I think that it's it yes it can be but I

27:54

also think that particular patient the one who had the 60s she was hypers stimulated

28:00

she's retrial more but half the EGS were retrieved so

28:06

this is where as as I was saying before the doctor said okay that protocol we did before didn't work so this more The

28:12

Gentle Touch yes yeah yeah that just sort of very personalized

28:18

experience how many men do you see and treat for fertility I see um you know I

28:23

see a decent amount they're usually sent by their Partners UMAS I'll have the man

28:29

call for for his partner but um it's it's a you know I think um sometimes men

28:37

respond more to men so sometimes I'll send them to you know other men who maybe specialize in in men's health um

28:43

but I see a decent amount um they respond really well um they respond

28:49

really well to herbs especially if we're trying to deal with motility or morphology um takes a little time you

28:55

know the three-month Mark is always a really if we can get 3 months with them on supplements and or herbs and and

29:02

that's kind of the magic number sometimes we don't have that much time so we do what because sometimes people

29:09

come in and they say we're going through a retrieval in two weeks you know what can you do is that feel stressful for

29:15

you when you no I just say I just say I'll do what I can you know it any

29:20

anything is better than nothing so even if you know even if we just change your diet and you eat some you know fish eggs

29:28

and avocado between now and then that that can only help yeah so yeah yeah um

29:34

what was the other question I wanted to ask you I think the time piece is so hard I know I struggle with that too and

29:39

like the podcast is called quiet the clock because you do feel like you're against this clock yeah but I think a lot of these changes do take time you

29:46

know when we had the fertility nutritionist on one of them had said like same amount of time like three months to kind of change your diet and

29:53

do things or supplements or herbs to help the quality of your eggs and I hear that and I'm like I don't want to wait 3

29:59

months like I'm ready to go now and I think when you get to a certain age or you have you're at a place where you

30:05

desire this so much to be to hear that you have to wait is really hard and I I

30:10

think that was part of my experience with the first transfer I was so impatient and there was probably more I

30:15

could have done like had more acupuncture sessions work with my therapist a little bit longer but I was

30:21

just like I got to go I want to do this and I think the value of the time is important but you have to battle that

30:28

Narrative of like I'm running out of time for sure and there's it's always the hurry up and wait and then and there

30:33

are a lot of women a lot of women who end up in my office have been on this journey for years I know oh my gosh my

30:39

heartbreaks for that because I you know I had the one you know failure or didn't

30:45

work and Rel up to that I think I was relatively successful in fertility and

30:51

successful like egg retrieval 37 naturally pregnant at 39 and my God the Heartbreak the Heartbreak and I I am

30:59

so sympathetic insanely sympathetic through women and and and like impressed

31:04

by women that just do this for months years years yeah I I liken it to a

31:10

marathon but you don't quite know how long the marathon is like am I at the 26.2 or am I just 2 miles in but am I

31:17

hitting a wall at 22 miles and I want to die that was my experience when I ran New York I I I only did a half marathon

31:23

but I remember the feeling of just one foot in front of the other that became like and it's so literally it's baby

31:29

steps and you just you keep on having to pull yourself back be in the moment and just get to the end of the day and what

31:36

have I done for myself today that's so much easier said than done um you know I know how hard it is but when we pull

31:43

back it's like meditation where you're just you it's so hard to be in the moment you have a young child so you

31:49

kind of have to be in the moment which is a beautiful thing but it's so so much

31:54

more I think human nature to look out there into the future as opposed to where am I today you know but it does

32:01

help to do that I love that one foot and for the other because there's so many stages of this process and so many

32:07

unknowns and so many like Milestones like okay you get to the retrieval how many do you get and then for me you know

32:12

making the embryos it's like how many th then it's how many fertilize and how many make it so it's you're kind of

32:17

always there's always the next step and and being able to stay with the the present step I think is hard but

32:23

important and I think that uh with acupuncture because it's very much in

32:28

the moment it's very much like there are you know you're getting these needles put into which you may or may not feel

32:35

but it's like it's happening right in the moment and then you get to lie on a table with a nice warm you know lamp on

32:41

your feet um but it does I feel like it always pulls people right back into who they are right now it's so wild so my

32:49

when I have my sessions like it just I feel it happening because you she puts the needles in the lamp and then she

32:56

leaves the room and then my mind's racing and I'm I'm not relaxed and just slowly it just all stops and my body

33:01

just like I it's so weird I feel it working I feel it happening another thing I wanted we want to talk about

33:07

today is like the the toxins and kind of cleaning things up and I think again

33:13

there's so much of these processes that we can't control and I think having more knowledge and information of where we

33:18

can have some control and make some changes is so important so I'm also like just learning a lot about all these

33:24

toxins what's in our house what we're eating so I'd love for to speak to that for for sure I mean it's it's like you

33:30

know I wish we could all live on farms and it be the 1800s so we have no wants to buy a par shell I'm I'm joining I do

33:38

too I want I want goats and chickens oh my okay we'll be neighbors chick really

33:45

and that's that's something though if any of you out there have chickens or know anyone who has a chicken use see if

33:50

you can have some of their eggs because those those eggs are completely different they're like this golden

33:56

golden egg um we have friends who have chickens and a and a lemon tree and also

34:01

this lemon the lemons that come did you see the lemon tree out here walked in there's one right in the front they're they're nothing like the lemons you get

34:08

at at Whole Foods or Trad Jo try one they're nothing like that um so you know

34:14

you Plastics are not are not good for us they're amazing they've done great

34:20

things in some ways but you know having I would say pull every plastic you have

34:25

in your home that has you know that that's going to hold your food and um you know use it for something else or

34:31

recycle it you know glasses plates uh some food comes in plastic sometimes we

34:37

can't help that yeah um and then as far as food goes uh I always say eat like

34:42

your ancestors so know you know where your genes lie and um you know but eat

34:48

like your ancestors because they also they ate food that wasn't called organic or grass-fed because it all was yes so

34:56

um if it's ideally if you're eating beef it's grass-fed if you're eating chicken it's organic you're eating fish it's

35:02

wild caught within reason obviously if you're going to someone's house you don't have to ask but um you know I I I

35:09

told you one of my favorite resources is the environmental working group it's ewg.org um they have these wonderful

35:16

databases that are all based on research and every year they come up with the top

35:22

12 uh fruits and vegetables that really should be purchased organic um and that

35:27

don't really need to so they call that 12 The Dirty Dozen um and it's usually things with thin skin or leafy greens so

35:35

like kale is always on that list apples pears always on that list strawberry is

35:40

always on that list but avocado never on the list banana is never on the list so you can you can see where your money

35:47

needs to be spent yeah yeah um and that makes a big difference and how how what

35:52

did like research saying or what is like the effect on fertility if you are not

35:58

mindful about how you're eating or even like I'm learning so many of these products like beauty products shampoos

36:04

soaps like all these things and that's in the ewg too like the skincare products the household products um I

36:11

mean there's nobody wants to say for sure you know out there in in the scientific world but you you can see how

36:18

much the fertility rates have depleted over the years I know I saw yeah I saw some crazy fact that like what by the

36:26

year 2050 might not have Spar or something and that's where you see it the most in in I see it mostly like in

36:32

the motility and or morphology of the sperm when they've actually had to change the number of what's considered

36:39

borderline and it's much lower than it used to be wow yeah so um you know is it

36:45

is it environmental I I believe if in part and it could also be who knows what else yeah um but you know to quote my

36:52

first acupuncturist you have to sometimes Fight Fire with Fire meaning sometimes because it's an environmental

36:58

issue or something that is a modern issue you need to use a modern method to help which potentially could be IVF if

37:07

you can if you can if you can because it's costly it's very costly not everybody can do it um I do appreciate

37:15

that there are some um companies some corporations that are now covering it with their with insurance I believe even

37:20

Walmart is oh that's great I didn't know that um yeah I know there's a there is a h Fertility clinic down um where at that

37:28

that is connected with Walmart um so yeah I mean ideally nobody has to go

37:34

through it but I know I know it's that's the other thing we're trying to normalize and you and I talked about this too is that it it's hard to get

37:40

pregnant and there are more I think there are more Journeys maybe like mine or other women that I've worked with or

37:46

there more women freezing their eggs that's why we have a whole podcast about this that it's not that easy and it is

37:52

normal to have challenges along the way for sure I mean there's a very short

37:57

ovulation window uh so you can't get pregnant during your entire cycle most women don't understand you know the

38:05

process I I even have patients who are MDS who didn't really understand because they just kind of slept through the OB

38:12

part of it the gynecological part of it um it's a beautiful thing to understand

38:17

what happens to our bodies every month um and how I think it's so wild that we

38:22

don't understand that until we're here until maybe we're thinking of freezing our eggs or you know or going through

38:29

trying to get pregnant and you can't like I think it is so wild that there is not more of an emphasis on us understanding our bodies and our cycles

38:36

and for most of us we get our periods at like 13 12 13 14 and so we've for all

38:41

these years we just don't even know what's happening yeah and I think that you know some cultures really celebrate

38:46

it you know there's the story of The Red Tent um which is amazing or I know there are some schools there's a school I know

38:53

in Northern California when a girl gets her period she's like Queen for the day and

38:58

yeah I mean I think that it it is about normalizing it and um celebrating it but

39:04

also knowing that it is a gift and that not all of our eggs are normal even when

39:10

we're young even when we're in our teens not everyone of that's good to know too because I think obviously you know what

39:17

younger you do it maybe the more s successful you be you can be but I think that's good to know too it's just all

39:24

the information is helpful to manage your expectations right so you're someone that's like proactive I'm going to freeze at 25 and then maybe not all

39:31

of them are normal there's this huge let down and disappointment because hey I just thought because I'm doing at 25 I'm

39:37

going to be successful right and chances are at 25 there probably will be more healthy eggs but they won't all be yeah

39:43

otherwise we would be even more overpopulated you know it's just it there's something about it where they're

39:49

not supposed to be all healthy I guess I don't know but um it is yes it is a

39:55

truth and it is something that we don't all most of us don't know don't know yeah there's such a gap in in our

40:00

education of our own bodies but what last thing I want to ask you is you had your own fertility journey and I want

40:07

you to share a little bit about that and just how has that helped your work does it allow you to relate more better to

40:12

these women that are going to no question about it I mean it was um you know I was lucky enough to to go through

40:20

IVF and have a positive experience my son Colin is now 17 oh my God I can't

40:25

believe it I me know my son's 2 and a half and I'm like I I was saying to you I was like he's going to be 17 before I know it that that's why baby steps right

40:32

step by step um but it was uh and that was the first time I saw that at the

40:38

time that clinic had an acupuncturist there um she happened to be out on maternity leave when I was there but I

40:45

had my own acupuncture separate but that's when I thought oh that's pretty cool and um it was it was a it

40:53

definitely definitely influenced me uh it's one of the reasons why I wanted to specialize in women's health and

40:59

particularly fertility it absolutely helps me understand where my patients

41:04

are that's not to say that those you know going back to who who who you can find I know my my mentor never went

41:11

through IVF and I know many women and men um practitioners who have not had

41:17

fertility issues for whatever reason and they're wonderful so they don't have to be but I know for me it helps me to

41:25

empathize with where they are in the process yeah and I think yeah and same for me having gone through it like I

41:31

don't I would never make a podcast about this if I hadn't but it's such a passion of mine and just being able to understand where people are at or maybe

41:38

being a little further along in the journey being able to offer you know help and support I I think there is n it

41:45

is just nice to have that Rel abil ability piece and if that's important to you maybe that's something you look for

41:51

as well I just for sure for sure if you don't go through it you don't you just don't get it you don't know yeah I mean

41:56

when you get to a point where it's whether whether someone else is giving you the shots or you're doing it yourself like nobody ever woke up and

42:03

said you know I I really would like to put a shot in my belly but you know you get you get used to it and because it's

42:10

because it's for a better it's for a very very important attached to the why I hate needles I did my shot last night

42:15

I like bled so much I was like oh my God what's happening but yeah you just stay attached to why you're doing it exactly

42:22

and you know I have seen I have seen Heroes these women are heroes

42:28

you know these like those who've been through it over and over or those who are you know I I have a patient who's

42:35

who's having a retrieval for her sister cuz her sister can't doesn't her eggs are not healthy you know people who are

42:43

who are doing what they can to help and to you know because we want so much to

42:50

um bring beautiful children into this world yeah and just when women support women it's so incredible it's it is

42:58

unbelievable and and you know that's why I'm so I'm so pleased that you asked me

43:03

to be here I am so grateful you're here this has been wonderful I so I you know I got off our call last week with you

43:09

and I texted shell right away I was like she's amazing I I just enjoy you so much I appreciate what you're doing it's just

43:14

so as a patient like my acupuncturist and I can tell you're the same way has

43:20

been so incredibly necessary in my journey and so I just can't ever thank her enough

43:27

it's just so if someone can work with you or find acupuncturist like you it just makes all the difference in the

43:32

journey I appreciate this and also having a patient who's that receptive

43:38

and appreciative you know it goes it it it makes it even better you know so so

43:43

yeah it's it's been great oh yeah thank you so much we tell everybody where they can find you because you're incredible and anyone that could work with you

43:49

would be I'm um my business is called Golden Egg acupuncture pretty easy it's golden egg acupuncture.com um and and

43:57

I'm Linda and currently I am a soul practitioner but at some point I'll probably bring someone else on you

44:03

should because you're going to be booming you're incredible you're incredible um but yeah and I guess my

44:10

last you know thing to say is just have hope you know it's such a simple thing

44:15

to say and a lot of people lose hope along the way but what I have found is

44:20

that um if you want family you'll find a way you'll find a way for that to work

44:27

and it may not look the way you thought it would but it won't matter it that is

44:32

so true I love that let's end there because that is so perfect yeah thank you so much for being here if you like

44:38

the episodes that you're hearing and you want to hear more please subscribe to our Channel and stay tuned for more incredible stories and tools when I

44:46

froze my eggs at 37 I felt alone I felt unsure I felt confused and uncertain and

44:53

when you are considering such a big decision feeling those ways do do not feel good so we have created a

45:00

step-by-step guide to egg freezing so no one else has to feel that way if you are considering egg freezing if you're

45:07

curious about what the process looks like or what you should be thinking about then this guide is for you we were

45:13

really thoughtful and how we put it together I think it's a great guide I think it's really comprehensive and

45:18

covers a lot of the things to be thinking about to be considering and maybe some things you didn't even realize you should be thinking about or

45:25

considering um the goal is to not let have anyone feel alone in this journey

45:31

so if you again if you're thinking about this decision sign up through our website quith clock.com and make sure to

45:38

follow us on Instagram and Tik Tok at quith clock pod this is a very big decision so I don't want anyone to feel

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alone in it so if you're thinking about it grab this guide and you can also DM me with any questions I'm here to

45:50

support you through this decision and this journey

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