All Paths Naturopathy

Category: Amanda Hochman ND

  • Spring


    Spring is in the air on this, the day to recognize the spring equinox.  For some, spring has been making an early appearance for a few weeks. For others, spring may still feel weeks away as the ground is covered in many inches of snow. Here in Southern Oregon, crocuses, daffodils, forsythia and more are showing off their blooms.  There have been days interspersed with weather warm enough for pregnant women to show off their creations and new babies to be introduced to the warmer weathers.
    In spite of all of the splendor which surrounds, there may still be an ache.  A feeling of guilt that we do not feel as joyous as we would like at the announcement of pregnancies in our family and communities.  There may be a sadness when seeing the beautiful little babies who have blessed others.

    In these tumultuous days of spring, it as though mother nature empathizes with the pain which at times may feel encompassing and all consuming.  Maybe you feel that a physical affliction would be easier as at least then people can see what is wrong.  With the pains that we carry in our hearts such as the loss of babies too early to hold or see fully grown, we have to be brave and open in order to share.  The words may not come easy.  Even thoughts of sharing may lead to a throat lump, which can only mean that tears are not far behind.           For those who struggle with becoming or staying pregnant, particularly when it has spanned years of time, thousands of dollars and countless other sacrifices, it can be hard to always find the blessing and good in life.
    Work may be improving, living situations continue to be pleasant, yet it does not fill the void of laughing children in your family. It is however, important to step back from the pain so as to honor and recognize what is going successfully.  This can help you from identifying yourself only by your struggles with conception and pregnancy.

    It can be helpful during the transition time from struggling to achieving and maintaining pregnancy to connect with nature in a way that is nourishing and fulfilling. One option is beginning the garden indoors as they foretell of future food for your family.  Nurture them as they are also your children.  See them grow and connect to the energy of the growing things.  Let your tears water the growing seedlings as your suffering is released.  Allow nature to transform the heartache, the longing to feel the babe quickening in your womb; or to experience the right of passage which is labor and delivery and meeting your baby.  Put all of this into the garden.  Let the pain be transformed into something beneficial rather than be consumed with it.

    For more information please visit www.all-paths.com

  • Stress in pregnancy, bad news for moms and babies

    Pregnant woman being held from behind by a man
    Two new studies have been recently published investigating stress and its effects on pregnancy.  One study, published in Clinical Psychological Science by Hahn-Holbrook and colleagues investigated the effect of stress on the hormone placental corticotropin releasing hormone and risk for developing postpartum depression.  They found that women with more social support from family had the lowest concentrations of placental corticotropin releasing hormone and were also less at risk for developing postpartum depression.  Hahn-Holbrook and her team also noted that women who had less support, had higher levels of placental corticotropin releasing hormone in their third trimester and were at increased risk of developing postpartum depression.  

    In research performed by Tracey Bale and colleagues, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences used a mouse model to investigate the effects of O-linked-N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT) on the development of the fetal brain.  This enzyme was chosen because it is active both in mice and humans, is present in differing amounts in the the placentas of male and female babies and is affected by maternal stresses.  Through their work with mice who synthesized half the normal amount of OGT, they discovered aberrant behavior in more than 300 genes within the developing hypothalamus.  In addition, the placentas of boy babies, whose mothers experienced the most stress had the lowest concentrations of OGT.  Through maternal support, it may be possible to increase levels of OGT to protect developing brains.   


    From what this new research  suggests, and pregnant women and mothers have known intuitively, they need support in order to decrease stress during pregnancy.  To help decrease stress in pregnancy, consider participating in a group with other mothers.  If you, like many families, live far away from relatives, consider participating in a CenteringPregnancy® program.   This program utilizes a model of care which includes prenatal visits both privately and in a group format to facilitate support and education.   In Southern Oregon, the CenteringPregnancy® program can be found at La Clinica,  In addition, it is important to share how you are feeling with your pregnancy provider.  If you feel that they are not hearing you, or are not offering the care you are looking for, consider a change in provider or provider type.  There are alternatives to brief prenatal appointments, with options including Naturopathic Midwives, licensed midwives and nurse midwives.  Keep the lines of communication open between you and your partner so that each of you can feel cared for and that each partner feels that their needs are being met.  This may mean a change in responsibility at work or home or simply more time spent with empathetic and caring individuals going through similar experiences.  There is no need to suffer alone.

  • Securing access to Naturopathic Medicine through your health insurance policy

    Do you live in Oregon?

    Is your insurance denying or limiting your access to Naturopathic Physicians?

    The Oregon Insurance Division needs to hear from you!

  • Coffee, caffeine and pregnancy: The new research

    babies,baby,body parts,embryos,females,healthcare,medicine,people,persons,pregnancies,pregnant,wombs,women
         A recent study published in Biomedical Central by Sengpiel and colleagues has found an association between coffee consumption and increased pregnancy length (5-8 hours / 100 mg caffeine).  Additionally, there was also an association between caffeine intake from all possible sources (coffee, tea, chocolate) and delivering babies with low birth weight and at increased risk for being small for gestational age.  This latter finding occurred even in women who did not consume caffeine in excess of the recommended limits (200 mg in Nordic countries and USA, 300 mg World Health Organization recommendation) and were not smokers.  This study included almost 60,000 participants most of whom were >25 years old and were in a partnered relationship.  Coffee and caffeine consumption was recorded in diet diaries at different time periods from the second trimester on wards.  
    To investigate the caffeine content of prepared beverages from restaurants, foods, tea and medications, The Center for Science in the Public Interest, has a chart which includes amount of caffeine per serving.  Another resource from the FDA entitled Medicines in my Home: Caffeine and Your Body includes a list of caffeine amounts and serving sizes provided by the University of Washington.  

    So, what does this mean?

    For women who are pregnant or are in the process of becoming pregnant, it is advisable to limit ones  intake of caffeine from all sources including, but not limited to; coffee, tea, and chocolate.

    For help with this or other pregnancy related concerns we are here to assist you on the journey towards parenthood.  More information can be found at www.all-paths.com 

  • Air pollution, it is not just hard on the lungs

    Air pollution smoke rising from plant tower

    For families who have suffered from pregnancy related conditions such as pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery and small for gestational age babies, there may never be a good reason for why these conditions happen.  This is often in part because many factors can contribute either singly or in tandem towards the development of conditions such as pre-eclampsia, preterm delivery and babies who are small for gestational age.  This week the list of risk factors was increased to include both particulate and molecular atmospheric pollutants.  For many years, scientists and environmentalists have been concerned with the effects of increased air pollution.  Research results from the ESCALA project have observed an increased risk of death resulting from increased exposure to particulate air pollutants less than or equal to 10 micrometers and ozone.

     David Olsson and colleagues published findings this past week in the British Medical Journal Open suggesting an association between exposure to ozone during the first trimester of pregnancy and an increased risk for preterm delivery and the development of pre-eclampsia.  This comes on the heels of a second study, published by Tracey J. Woodruff, PhD, MPH  in collaboration with the International Collaboration on Air Pollution and Pregnancy Outcomes (ICAPPO) in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.  The ICAPPO researchers  saw an association between particulate air pollution and delivering babies who were born small for gestational age.  With this new research, it offers another reason to care for the environment in such a way that promotes health and well being for all. 

    For more information visit: www.all-paths.com and www.southernoregonbirthconnections.com