Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

I have much to be thankful for. When I think about The YinOva Center, what I am most grateful for is the sense of community that we have been able to create. All of us – practitioners, administrators and patients feel connected. I love the fact that I can walk into the waiting room and see you chatting, sharing your experiences and supporting each other. You are a great group of women and I feel privileged to have met you all. I love that you are willing to share your stories with each other and would like to encourage you to read the blog where many YinOva patients have passed on something they have learned. I have been particularly struck recently by Suzanne’s description of her recovery from breast cancer, Jane’s essay about her stroke, Monika’s story about her breech baby and Kate’s description about how her fertility diet got out of control. Over the years I have learned so much from my patients. You are wise women and I have appreciated the chance to play a role in your healing journeys.

New York can be a complicated city to live in and I see us all, staff and patients alike, as a group of women trying to keep ourselves and our families healthy as we juggle our heavily scheduled lives. We are blessed to be able to support you all.

Recently I read some of the reviews of our center on City Search. I was struck by how often people mentioned our friendly staff. I feel very lucky to have Marie, Mark, and Sarah on the front desk. Each of them really cares about our patients and their warmth and kindness shine through. Many of the reviews mentioned that the office is immaculate and for that we have to thank Dorothy who puts so much energy into creating a clean and supportive environment.

My colleagues Liz Carlson and Margaret Sikowitz practice Chinese Medicine at a very high level. They bring love, compassion, skill and humor to their work. I feel very lucky to have found them and know, because you tell me, how much you appreciate them. If you have never experienced her work I would encourage you to do so.

As many of you know I’ve just finished writing a book with Dr. Sami David. Making Babies will be out next year and I hope it will be useful to many of you. Dr. David is a very good doctor and a kind man and I am grateful to be able to share so many patients with him. His experience and wisdom have enriched my knowledge of fertility medicine.

On a personal note I’m grateful to my husband Noah, who has always supported me 100% in my work and has understood why I find it so consuming. Many of you have met my daughter Emma because she often works for us in the school holidays. She is a source of love, laughter and sunshine in my life and I am proud of the woman she is becoming.

So thank you all — my friends, colleagues, family and you our patients. Together we’ll get through what life throws at us. I look forward to continuing to serve you.

— Jill

© Ingrid Balabanova | Dreamstime.com

This list by Paula Redmond Satran was originally published in Glamour Magazine in 1997. It is often mistakenly described as a poem by Maya Angelou. Thank you Pamela for giving me permission to post it here for our YinOva Center community.

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I asked our lovely YinOva patient Kate to write this week’s blog entry. When Kate came to see me she had been trying to conceive for several years. She had been diligent about seeking out advice from a variety of conventional and complementary practitioners and had followed their orders to the letter. A previous acupuncturist had encouraged her to follow a very strict diet. I’m sure this advice was well meaning but in my opinion these kinds of draconian dietary measures are a misinterpretation of Chinese nutritional theory which stresses moderation and balance.

When I met Kate I realized that what had started as a strict diet had become more of an eating disorder. Trying so hard to conceive and then failing to get pregnant, month after month, is a really out of control feeling. It can even feel as if you are being punished. Many patients have described to me their sense that if only they could be perfect then they would be able to get pregnant. I often remind my patients that women who live on junk food get pregnant all the time. I don’t mean to imply that a healthy diet isn’t important and you’ll find lots of dietary advice here on the YinOva blog. But I do want my patients to understand that the occasional chocolate bar, ice cream or glass of wine is not the end of the world. In fact a relaxed attitude may well be helpful. A woman who is tense about every mouthful of food she eats is sending her body a message that may end up being counter-productive.

As Kate and I talked we realized how frightened she had become about food. Her strict diet had become something of a superstition and she felt that if she cheated in any way she would be punished by not conceiving. I encouraged her to let go and eat more normally. I also asked if she would share her experience with you all because I think she has learned something very important. I’d love to know what you all think.

Here’s Kate’s story in her own words….

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I found this quiz online. How many organs can you name in 4 minutes?

I named 24 organs in 4 minutes!

I asked our YinOva Center patient Jane to write today’s blog entry. Jane is a woman I am proud to know. Having suffered a stroke she took full responsibility for her own healing in a profound way. She sought out the best of conventional and complementary medicine in order to create her own path to recovery. She has been fearless in confronting the issues that lead to her stroke and has learned to be both gentle with herself and rigorous in her pursuit of healing. I am pleased to report that Jane has almost fully recovered. She is an inspiration and I am so grateful that she has taken the time to write about her experience and share it with you.

Stroke of Luck

Jill asked me to write about my stroke a while ago. I have made a few starts, but I have not been able to get very far. I think that is because I kept concentrating on the event. The trauma of the actual stroke as I began to write. What I would actually like to write about is how I got through it, not how devastating it was. Suffice it to say that stroke is a major traumatic event. I went from functioning normally to not being able to stand or even look at people for any length of time in the space of about 15 minutes. I experienced a profound vertigo the like of which I never wish to feel again. I could not tell or maintain temperature on the right side of my body and I could not move my left leg. When I stabilized, it was as if I was in a different body than the one I had been in for the past 47 years. Continue reading…

You may think of millet as an ingredient in bird seed, but this nutritious grain is so much more than bird food. In fact it is a staple food for over a 1/3 of the world’s population. These tiny yellow seeds can be cooked until creamy like polenta or fluffy like rice. Not only is millet delicious but it is also heart healthy thanks to its high magnesium content.

The magnesium in millet has been shown to help prevent migraines and asthma as well as protecting your heart and lowering blood pressure. Millet is also a good source of B vitamins, especially niacin, which is important for lowering cholesterol. Continue reading…