fertility

Friends. I don’t often kill a non-fiction book in two days (too many notes to write.) But the Fifth Vital Sign by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack? I legitimately got hand cramps from the notes I took and I read the whole thing in less than two days. The Fifth Vital sign is now a book I will recommend with the same passion that I evangelize Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler with and for many of the same reasons. Lisa Hendrickson-Jack presents an evidenced-based body of work with over 1,000 scientific references to improve your body literacy and ultimately your health. But that’s not the only reason I love this book. Photo by Irina Iriser from Pexels

The Fifth Vital Sign by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack

Friends. I don’t often kill a non-fiction book in two days (too many notes to write.) But the Fifth Vital Sign by Lisa Hendrickson-Jack? I legitimately got hand cramps from the notes I took and I read the whole thing in less than two days.

The Fifth Vital sign is now a book I will recommend with the same passion that I evangelize Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler with and for many of the same reasons.

Lisa Hendrickson-Jack presents an evidenced-based body of work with over 1,000 scientific references to improve your body literacy and ultimately your health.

But that’s not the only reason I love this book.

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By Jessica Gustafson, ago
Reverie hit a milestone moment a few weeks ago: I hit 100 posts. I know that this seems like a small thing but in the middle of having to close my clinic due to the coronavirus crisis and the drastic shifts I am making in my life to accommodate for that, I’ll take any glimmer of sunshine I can get. I wanted to do this post for my 100th post but other things took precedence. After all, this blog is here for you: as a reference to my patients and as a resource to everyone else. But whether you are a regular blog reader or not, 100 posts is a lot and it’s quite possible that you may have missed some of the most popular posts I have to offer. So that’s what today’s post is: a round up of the 10 most popular posts over the past two years. I hope that you can find something that serves you. Featured image and cover photo by Malte luk from Pexels

Milestone Moment: Reverie hit 100 posts!

Reverie hit a milestone moment a few weeks ago: I hit 100 posts.

I know that this seems like a small thing but in the middle of having to close my clinic due to the coronavirus crisis and the drastic shifts I am making in my life to accommodate for that, I’ll take any glimmer of sunshine I can get.

I wanted to do this post for my 100th post but other things took precedence. After all, this blog is here for you: as a reference to my patients and as a resource to everyone else.

But whether you are a regular blog reader or not, 100 posts is a lot and it’s quite possible that you may have missed some of the most popular posts I have to offer.

So that’s what today’s post is: a round up of the 10 most popular posts over the past two years. I hope that you can find something that serves you.

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By Jessica Gustafson, ago
Picture by Secret Garden Daily via Pexels

How to boost your libido with breath work

It has been a long time since I’ve gotten sexy on this blog. In fact, come to think of it, I don’t even think I’ve ever actually talked about sex (except for that one fertility essay, I guess). Kind of weird when you consider that my practice wouldn’t exist without it.

This Valentine’s Day I want to give you a gift to celebrate the generative rise of yang energy that started last week. My gift to you: better sex.

Not only do I hope that this simple qi gong exercise will help raise your libido, but I hope that if you’re trying to conceive it gives you an energetic boost of fertile, springtime energy.

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By Jessica Gustafson, ago

Seed Cycling and Oil Cycling for Fertility

Yesterday’s post introduced seed cycling and oil cycling for hormonal health. Seed cycling and oil cycling are ways to balance hormones over a few months by supporting hormones with lignans, healthy fats, and other nutrients.

But multiple times I warned that this method was not for those who were trying to conceive.

In this post I am going to discuss why oil cycling for fertility needs to be different than oil cycling for hormonal health, why preparing for conception is as important as trying to conceive, and the changes you can make to the process to make seed cycling and oil cycling work for you.

By Jessica Gustafson, ago
Hey, wow. A third Sunday round-up. This might actually become a thing! Is anyone else notoriously bad at saying you want to start doing a thing and then not doing it? It can’t just be me. Anyway, this Sunday round up includes bed-sharing while breastfeeding, a local man working for big change, seed cycling, and my favorite bibimbap recipe that’s nourishing for your body AND your budget. Featured image and cover photo by Suzy Hazelwood from Pexels

Sunday Round Up: Bed-sharing, male doulas, and seed cycling

Hey, wow. A third Sunday round-up. This might actually become a thing!

Is anyone else notoriously bad at saying you want to start doing a thing and then not doing it? It can’t just be me.

Anyway, this Sunday round up includes bed-sharing while breastfeeding, a local man working for big change, seed cycling, and my favorite bibimbap recipe that’s nourishing for your body AND your budget.

By Jessica Gustafson, ago
Happy Almost Winter, Minnesnowta! Any other season of the year and people give me the side-eye for an “early” season greeting. But in winter? Snow can fly as early as September! In fact, wasn’t it just last week we got our first flakes? And even if the snowflakes weren’t falling yet, the world around us is settling into a winter rhythm. Everything becomes quiet and still. The leaves have fallen, the grass is hibernating, jars of pickled herring pop up in pantries across the state. This spring, I broke the element of wood down in two blog posts – one about how things can be categorized as wood from a health perspective and another about how Chinese medicine looks at imbalances in the wood element. I did the same earlier this month for metal and metal disharmonies. This blog post will be doing the same for this season’s element, the element of Water. Featured image and cover photo by Sebastian Voortman from Pexels

The Water Element: Foundations in the Depths

Happy Almost Winter, Minnesnowta!

Any other season of the year and people give me the side-eye for an “early” season greeting. But in winter? Snow can fly as early as September! In fact, wasn’t it just last week we got our first flakes?

And even if the snowflakes weren’t falling yet, the world around us is settling into a winter rhythm. Everything becomes quiet and still. The leaves have fallen, the grass is hibernating, jars of pickled herring pop up in pantries across the state.

This spring, I broke the element of wood down in two blog posts – one about how things can be categorized as wood from a health perspective and another about how Chinese medicine looks at imbalances in the wood element. I did the same earlier this month for metal and metal disharmonies.

This blog post will be doing the same for this season’s element, the element of Water.

By Jessica Gustafson, ago

Women’s Water: A Yin Tonic

Yin deficiency signs are pretty clear:

  • flushing face
  • night sweats
  • hot flashes
  • dry throat
  • insomnia
  • racing thoughts when you try to go to bed at night
  • sore back
  • constipation
  • ringing ears/tinnitus
  • dizziness

You know what this sounds like? Menopause. Or for some women, menstruation. Or others just…life.

You see, women are mostly yin. We are yin to the masculine yang. So yin deficiency tends to be a bit more obvious in us. Maybe that’s why in my practice this recipe is the one I tend to recommend the most.

So why is it that this simple tonic can be so helpful for women? Read on.

women's water
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By Jessica Gustafson, ago
The first official quarter of Reverie Acupuncture is wrapping up which means it’s time for a post round up! While I’m writing up posts for the next few weeks, I thought it would be good to revisit the five most popular posts of the year so far. These are ranked in order of the blogs that people found the most useful and came back for time and time again. If you missed any of them, here is your chance to catch up and also your chance to review if you liked them. Cover image and featured photo by David Alberto Carmona Coto from Pexels

Fertility tips, postpartum recovery and why telling your birth story is a community service

The first official quarter of Reverie Acupuncture is wrapping up which means it’s time for a post round up!

While I’m writing up posts for the next few weeks, I thought it would be good to revisit the five most popular posts of the year so far. These are ranked in order of the blogs that people found the most useful and came back for time and time again. If you missed any of them, here is your chance to catch up and also your chance to review if you liked them.

(more…)
By Jessica Gustafson, ago