Pulling Down the Moon

How Holistic Fertility Works: The Bucket, The Hose and the Glasses

Mar 08, 2022

Demystifying the Ways that Holistic Fertility Support Optimizes Conception...and Life!

Chances are you're reading this because you are trying to have a baby.  Perhaps you've been trying for a while, in which case you may have earned an unofficial "degree" in infertility now know a little too much about the endocrine system, fertility medications and Assisted Reproductive Technologies.  On the other hand, you may be brand new to the process and just "wetting your beak" in the choppy seas and swirling tides of Dr. Google.


At Pulling Down the Moon, we like to keep things simple.  Although our practitioners are all grounded in western approaches to infertility treatment, we can simplify what we do to three basic concepts:  the bucket, the hose and the glasses.  Basically, it's all you really need to know about what we do.  Let's take a quick look.


The Bucket:  All holistic methods share a common understanding that there is a life force that animates all living beings.  Names for this force include prana, chi, qi, vital energy etc.  The basic concept is that we need a "full bucket" of life energy to have optimal physical and emotional health.  Activities that fill the bucket include deep breathing, nourishing food, sufficient high-quality sleep, healthy exercise, time in nature, loving relationships, yoga/acupuncture/massage and a bunch of other lovely things.  Activities that drain the bucket include stress, overwork, poor sleep, anxiety, perfectionism and negative emotion.  Therapies at Pulling Down the Moon like acupuncture, massage and yoga help fill the bucket and plug the leaks by bringing into focus lifestyle habits that drain life energy and creating a new and supportive environment for self-nurture.


The Hose:  Now let's refine this a bit.  A garden hose can be used to direct water to the places it is most needed to grow a fertile garden.  For optimal results, we want to make sure the hose is not kinked, that it is aimed at the right areas and that it delivers the right amount of water at the right time.  Here's where the expertise of your practitioner comes in.  Our Fertility Enhancing Massage (FEM) Protocol, for instance, is based on our observation of hundreds of fertility patients and targets common objectives for fertility enhancement including lymphatic drainage/detoxification, increased blood flow and tissue oxygenation and deep musculofascial/tension release.  Traditional Chinese Medicine, on the other hand works by identifying imbalances in the flow of life energy and using tools like acupuncture, herbs, moxabustion and electrostimulation to redirect and balance the flow of energy.  Our Yoga for Fertility class uses a therapeutic model to bring awareness to different "bodies" that can impact fertility and employs specific postures and practices to promote optimal hormonal and physiological function.


The Glasses: Now this concept is perhaps the most woo-woo of what's on offer at Pulling Down the Moon but is perhaps the most powerful.  All of us wear a set of glasses when we observe the world.  The "prescription" in these lenses are unique to each of us and reflect our past experiences, our hopes and dreams and our deepest fears.  All of the services we offer at Pulling Down the Moon are also designed to help you polish your glasses so that you see life with more clarity and have a deeper sense of who you are and what you wish to achieve - even beyond achieving a pregnancy.  When our glasses distort the present moment we can make choices that impact our ability to conceive and our ability to be happy.  We become unable to embrace our lives and spend precious time wishing to be anywhere but here in this moment.  And, when we cannot see clearly where we are we can't really know what steps we need to take to get where we wish to be.  When we spend time polishing our glasses (a.k.a. our mindset) we become stronger, more powerful and - yes - more joyful.


This simple explanation isn't to say that the work we do in each of our disciplines is simple.  It's not.  It's deep and unique and can help you tap into a deep source of power...and yeah, it can also optimize your fertility and help you conceive. 





Share on Social

Discuss With Us

Our Latest Resources

Therapeutic Yoga for PCOS?

By Beth Heller • 13 Sep, 2024
There are many reasons that a therapeutic yoga program may benefit women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. PCOS presents very differently in different women but the syndrome as whole is associated with infertility and other adverse health conditions including obesity, diabetes and heart disease. Women with PCOS may also have higher levels of chronic inflammation and elevated levels of circulating stress hormones. The good news is that more and more research suggests that lifestyle intervention including lifestyle intervention including diet and exercise may be the best way to manage PCOS. In addition, new research is showing the benefit of Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat the hormonal imbalances, symptoms like hirsutism and acne, and menstrual irregularity that is associated with PCOS. Another element of PDtM’s PCOS “Action Plan is yoga. Yoga has been shown to lower levels of stress hormones and women with a regular yoga practice have been show to have a “healthier physiological response to stress". Yoga has also been shown to reduce markers of oxidative stress and blood sugar control in people with diabetes as well as improve blood pressure and cholesterol levels in heart disease patients (1). Some of the goals of a therapeutic yoga practice for PCOS include: Standing and seated yoga asana that create an invigorating, but not exhausting, exercise session Twisting poses, which in yoga physiology are believed to help decrease abdominal fat Postures that bring blood to the thyroid gland, an important endocrine gland for metabolism Stimulating agni, the digestive fire, that supports complete digestion and metabolism of foods Mudras (hand yoga) that stimulate different physiological and energetic systems Breathing exercises that induce the relaxation response While lifestyle changes can be very helpful with PCOS, they are not enough on their own. Working in partnership with you physician or Reproductive Endocrinologist and ensuring they are kept up to date on any holistic treatments you may be using is the smartest approach for PCOS management. Yoga for Fertility to support PCOS is available at Pulling Down the Moon in-center starting on Sept 21st and virtually starting on Sept 30th . If you would like to learn more about PDtM’s PCOS Action Plan to manager your PCOS Action Plan with holistic health treatment ( Acupuncture , Massage , Nutrition , and Yoga ) then contact us at 312-321-0004 or email info@pullingdownthemoon.com to get started today! (1) Field, T. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 17 (2011) 1e8
woman holding supplements doing research supplements for fertility

Supplements for Fertility When Trying to Conceive

21 Aug, 2024
Discover effective supplements that support fertility and boost your chances of conception. Learn how vitamins and minerals can enhance reproductive health.

Pregnancy Passport: Relaxed Mommies Make Healthier Babies

By Beth Heller, MS RYT • 15 Aug, 2024
As I’ve said before, it took me seven years and five pregnancies to get two kids. So, while pregnancy was a joyful time for me on some levels, it was also a time of stress and sleepless anxiety. In fact my business partner Tami will often joke that my pregnancies were some of the most stressful times of her life. Honestly, though, without yoga, massage and acupuncture I think I would have bitten my fingernails to the quick waiting for Jackson and Calvin to arrive safely. What I didn’t know then was that seeking relief for anxiety through holistic means was also good for my boys. A growing body of clinical evidence now suggests that prenatal stress, depression and/or anxiety is linked to adverse health outcomes for both moms and babies including preterm birth, preeclampsia and even future risk of chronic disease and obesity (1). Women, especially women who have struggled to conceive, may feel guilty about experiencing anxious emotions during this “blissful time". Yet preparing for a new baby, no matter how hard one had to work to get it, can be stressful. Changes in the body during pregnancy, including the strains of a growing belly and nighttime muscle cramps, can also disrupt sleep, which increases stress. Rather than worry about worrying, we suggest you take the bull by the horns and enjoy a 360 degree self-care program during pregnancy. And honestly, it will never again be as easy to justify self-care like acupuncture , massage and yoga as it is when your efforts are a “double-dip – good for mom and great for baby. Here are several strategies for decreasing maternal stress and improving overall well-being during pregnancy: 1. Get acupuncture. A 2010 study in Obstetrics and Gynecology found that acupuncture treatment alleviated symptoms of stress and depression in pregnant women and women experiencing infertility (2, 3). Acupuncture has also been shown to be effective at managing morning sickness, back and pelvic pain and labor pain. Make sure, however, that you see a practitioner who is experienced in treating pregnancy. 2. Do prenatal yoga. Compared to controls, women who did prenatal yoga experienced significant reductions in physical pain from baseline to post intervention compared with women in the third trimester whose pain increased. Women in the yoga group showed greater reductions in perceived stress and trait anxiety in their third trimester than women from the control group (4) The same women also experienced better sleep and less wakefulness (5). 3. Get prenatal massage. Research shows that women who received prenatal massage reported decreased depression, anxiety, and leg and back pain. Cortisol levels decreased, which decreased excessive fetal activity; the rate of baby prematurity was also lower (6). 4. Seek expert prenatal nutrition counseling. There are specific nutritional strategies for managing weight gain, avoiding conditions like Gestational Diabetes and Pre-eclampsia and improving digestion (less heartburn, avoid constipation). At Pulling Down the Moon we target our prenatal nutrition consults based on trimester. Get your passport to pregnancy relaxation by getting started today with prenatal care in Chicago , Highland Park , or virtually ! Gift certificates are also available at our online store shop.pullingdownthemoon.com . 1. Entringer S et al. Prenatal stress and developmental programming of human health and disease risk: concepts and integration of empirical findings. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2010 Dec;17(6):507-16. 2. Smith CA. 1. SMith The effect of acupuncture on psychosocial outcomes for women experiencing infertility. J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Oct;17(10):923-30. Epub 2011 Oct 6 . 3. Manber et al. Acupuncture for depression during pregnancy: a randomized controlled trial. Obstet Gynecol. 2010 Mar;115(3):511-20. 4. Beddoe AE et al. The effects of mindfulness-based yoga during pregnancy on maternal psychological and physical distress. J Obstet Gynecol Neonatal Nurs. 2009 May-Jun;38(3):310-9. 5. Beddoe AE et al. Effects of mindful yoga on sleep in pregnant women: a pilot study. Biol Res Nurs. 2010 Apr;11(4):363-70. 6. Field, T. (2010). Pregnancy and labor massage therapy. Expert Review of Obstetrics and Gynecology , 5, 177-181.
More Posts
Share by: