Author: Ann Zimmerman

Fertility Enhancement and Chinese medicine

Written by Ann Zimmerman on January 26, 2014. Posted in Chinese Medicine, Women's health.

by Ann Zimmerman, LAc.

Many women get pregnant easily and many do not. Research estimates that 1 in 6 couples in the US struggle with getting pregnant. Optimizing the likelihood of getting pregnant and staying pregnant is an area where the tools of Chinese medicine have something special to offer. Rather than looking at fertility challenges as simply a problem with ovaries, or a specific hormone, Chinese medicine approaches fertility as a women’s natural state of balance. Compromised fertility results from imbalances within the network of organs, hormones, and energy systems of the body.

It is very common these days to combine Western and Eastern fertility treatments. Women and men often look toward Western medicine first believing that there must be something really wrong with them and sometimes there is. The bigger the barrier to getting pregnant the more successful Western treatment tends to be: for example with blocked fallopian tubes, prolific endometriosis, or very compromised sperm the diagnostics and surgeries offered can greatly enhance the outcome. In cases if ovulation issues or symptomatic menstrual cycles fertility drugs can make drastic impact. The assisted reproductive technologies of IUI(intrauterine insemination) and IVF(in vitro fertilization) can be the answer for couples with greatly compromised sperm, same sex couples, or simply successful when nothing else works for no known reason. The cost and side effects of these treatments are significant, rarely covered by insurance, and plain stressful.

The New Flu Scare: What to Do?

Written by Ann Zimmerman on November 1, 2013. Posted in Immune Health and Balance.

by Clark Zimmerman, LAc.

It seems that every year around this time the news is abuzz about a
new and frightening flu that is making the rounds. We have been
receiving a lot of calls and questions about what to do to prevent or
treat this year’s flu strains. Depending on who you ask, there is
dramatically different advice on what to do about the flu.

Influenza, or flu for short, is a variety of ever evolving viruses
that differ from year to year. It can typically cause a number of
uncomfortable, or sometimes even life-threatening symptoms. Symptoms
can include: sinus congestion, runny nose, cough, fever/chills,
headaches, body aches, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. Each virus
behaves a little differently than the next, causing a different
profile of symptoms. Symptoms also vary from person to person, even
with the same flu virus. Influenza viruses are different than the
viruses that cause the common cold, typically involving more
symptoms. They generally spread through aerosols, or droplets in the
air that are the result of coughing or sneezing, but they can also be
spread by contacting a contaminated surface.

Sugar: Between a rock and a sweet place

Written by Ann Zimmerman on October 23, 2013. Posted in Digestion/Diet.

Written by Clark Zimmerman, LAc.

I remember a few things about childhood better than others: summer vacation, creek stomping with the neighbors and mom’s chocolate chip cookies. The cookies especially stand out. Hot from the oven, the melted chocolate making a mess of my hands, and the sweetness that lingered in my mouth and instantly widened my smile. When we were good kids, mom rewarded us with fresh cookies.

These childhood associations of sugar as a reward or as a universal expression of love, stay with most of us throughout our entire life. But sugar has its dark side. Sugar is physically addictive, operating in our brain in a similar fashion to opiates. This is why people with a sweet tooth get grumpy when they go without their sugar fix. Some science says that sugar and other sweeteners are the single biggest cause of illness in the world. It is a subject that I have been studying lately. I recently read two very well written opinions on the topic: National Geographic August 2013 issue and Mother Earth Living November/December 2013 both have featured articles on sugar. Both of these articles mention that consumption of sweeteners worldwide has dramatically increased over the past 100 years, especially in the USA. It is no surprise that during this time the incidence of sugar related illnesses has also increased.