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Fertility,
Pregnancy & Women’s Health
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"It has been an absolute
honor for me to share in & be part of the journey for so many women and couples I have worked with in their quest for parenthood - with 33 pregnancies and 29 healthy babies born to date." -
Samantha Atkins (June 2006) |
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Our
Approach
At
TheWholeU we are passionate about women's health, and we
understand that being a woman in this day & age is
often not easy. Whether you are a working woman or a
full time Mum, you are expected to juggle a whole host
of tasks as well as trying to look after yourself –
which often comes bottom of your list.
It’s
no wonder the delicate balance of our hormones can be
thrown into chaos with the physical & emotional
stresses we put ourselves under.
Period
pains, sore breasts, mood swings, headaches, ‘feeling
down or teary’, bloating and hot flushes are just a
few of the symptoms women have to contend with all too
regularly.
At
TheWholeU we show you there IS an alternative to just
popping painkillers & suffering in silence.
We
offer a positive
alternative, which helps you regain your balance - both
physically & emotionally – allowing you to once
again feel empowered in your own body & not look on
it as the enemy.
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Some
Conditions we have helped...
·
Menstrual problems – Irregular / heavy/ painful/
absent
·
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)
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Endometriosis
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Fertility issues
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PMS
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Breast tenderness
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Fibroids / Ovarian Cysts
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Mood Swings
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Depression
·
Menopause (& peri-menopause)
See
also Research &
Articles page |
Fertility
For
many women (& indeed men), the stress and anxiety associated with
failing to conceive can be overwhelming. At TheWholeU we understand
first hand what this means to you.
The
Media bombard us with statistics on rates of falling fertility, rising
miscarriage & women leaving it “too late”. This does nothing
but add more stress & anxiety onto an often already burdened
woman.
While
there can be many reasons behind “infertility”, there is also a
growing awareness of things we can do to help ourselves – IF we are
willing to put in the effort. We live in an “on demand” society so
we expect to fall pregnant the minute we choose to or stop taking
contraception – this is not the case.
In fact if you were in optimum
health & well-being your chances of natural conception in any one
month is only between 20-30%.
In
fact in every 100 couples trying to conceive :
·
30 will have conceived in 1 month
·
75 will have conceived within 6 months
·
90 will have conceived within 1 year
·
95 will have conceived within 2 years
That
leaves just 5% after 2 years who may need additional medical
intervention.
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At
TheWholeU we work holistically helping you to:
·
fully understand your body
·
feel more positive & relaxed
·
work towards bringing the whole body into a state
of balance
·
help
you address any psychological or emotional
blocks that
may be standing in your way to parenthood. |
Samantha
was privileged to be the first Reflexologist & holistic
practitioner in London to be invited to join Nourish-Fertility’s
“satellite clinic network”, providing services to women who
want to conceive naturally. Founder of Nourish, Jane Sheldon
Clarke, says: “I am delighted to welcome Samantha onboard and I
am confident that she will be a real asset to the team. Samantha
has a wealth of experience dealing with fertility issues and
shares the holistic approach Nourish takes to a healthy and
natural pregnancy.”
TheWholeU
is proud to have strong links with Nourish Fertility as it is a
British company developed out of a passion for the well being of
future parents and their children. Made up of a team of integrated
traditional and complementary medical practitioners, Nourish aims
to provide for those who seek greater choice, information and
control, a view shared by Sam at TheWholeU.
Samantha
uses & stocks all of the Nourish products, including the
Conception Conditioning kits - These natural formulations have
been carefully researched and developed by a team of health
professionals in the fields of nutrition, homeopathy, aromatherapy
and herbal medicine. You can find out more about Nourish on our
links page.
TheWholeU
Fertility Therapy
It
is the body's natural instinct to conceive. Next to the need for
food, water & shelter, conception is one of our foremost
survival instincts. Mother Nature is a clever lady! - If the body
does not believe that it has the ability to sustain a full term
pregnancy, it will not conceive – it’s as simple as that.
Conception
will occur when there is enough balance between the emotional,
hormonal and physical selves – The
Whole U.
TheWholeU
Fertility Therapy can bring balance on all levels to reduce stress
& anxiety and help you work through any emotional and
psychological barriers to conception. When the body and mind are
less stressed there is much greater opportunity to turn the
energies toward conception.
This
applies to both natural and assisted conception.
Our
Therapy has been designed to examine all the key areas of your
life – your body, your lifestyle, nutrition, your mental &
emotional states and your family history & patterns together
with the support of Reflexology to soothe & relax both your
mind & body. Together they will help to boost your fertility
and hopefully achieve a healthy pregnancy.
We
explore with you how women's and men's minds and bodies can be so
affected by generations of their families' beliefs and patterns of
behavior that their natural fertility and ability to conceive can
be blocked.
We
know that conception has more to do with how you feel about
yourself as a sensual, sexual and fertile woman and less to do
with age and statistics. And a lot about how we feel about
ourselves today is largely influenced by unexpressed (often
unconscious) thoughts, emotions & beliefs from childhood.
TheWholeU
Fertility Therapy allows for a process of self-analysis. This
together with our support & assistance, can help women and men
become conscious about how they need to change their minds and
their lives to reclaim their natural fertility, conceive and give
birth to a healthy baby.
All
of this is accomplished in a totally respectful, non-judgmental,
supportive & caring way.
The
process
Click
here to see an overview of TheWholeU Fertility Therapy(PDF
File)
Unfortunately,
TheWholeU Fertility Therapy is not a magic cure. Nor will it lead
to overnight success (although it sometimes does !)
It will however encourage you to address the mind/body link
to conception and help you to make simple shifts to your live.
This can result in major effects on your body & health.
Optimum health & well-being = enhanced & effective body
functions which can lead to an easier conception and healthier
pregnancy and baby.
| "In
the process of resolving painful childhood experiences and
family conflicts, it is possible to create a healthy new
inner life, a new life together as a couple, and a new
life in the form of a baby. This awesome revelation has
led me to become totally committed to empowering women and
men to take charge of their reproductive life, their
health, and their well-being."
Niravi B. Payne |
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| Is
it right for you ?
·
Women / Couples who are just starting out on
their journey to parenthood & want to ensure they
are in the best shape possible before conceiving
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Women / Couples with no fertility issues but who
would like to ensure a healthy pregnancy & baby
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Women / Couples with diagnosed fertility issues
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Women / Couples with unexplained fertility
issues.
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Women / Couples who have been trying to conceive
for a while without success
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Women / Couples embarking on Assisted
Reproduction Procedures (such as IUI, IVF, ICSI etc) who
wish to improve their chances of conception.
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Those with a history of recurrent miscarriage
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Those with an unresolved issue regarding their
sexuality, family issues or abortion.
See
this BBC article : http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/5098454.stm
See
also Research
& Articles page
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The
alternative
You
might decide that Reflexology alone is enough for you at this
time.
Reflexology
sessions not only help to de-stress the body AND mind, but it also
helps to harmonise hormones, encourage the immune and lymphatic
systems and stimulate the reproductive area.
The
sessions can also help you de-stress & unwind and literally
“put your feet up” for an hour.
You
might choose to take up Fertility Therapy at a later date which is
fine too! You
have to go with what feels right for you – right now.
See
also Research & Articles page
What
the clients say
click here for testimonials & some of our successes .
(PDF
File)
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with
special thanks to the parents who
allowed me use pictures of their new bundles of joy
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Pregnancy
& Postnatal Care
Pregnancy
Pregnancy
is obviously a time for great joy and excitement but it is also
the most physically and emotionally demanding time in a woman's
life. Pregnancy care at TheWholeU is concerned with helping you
stay relaxed, healthy and physically comfortable during the whole
nine months.
Reflexology
is a wonderful way to stay “balanced” at a time when your body
doesn’t feel like your own anymore ! The relaxation element
alone is enough to help with both the physical discomforts and
also any emotional concerns faced by the mum to be – in the
assurance that there are no negative side effects to your baby.
Research
has found that the more stressed a mother is during pregnancy the
more prone that child will be to anxiety in their life so it is so
beneficial to incorporate some form of relaxation into your
routine.
Reflexology
is recommended throughout the pregnancy to ensure optimum health
– many of the common symptoms in pregnancy such as morning
sickness, indigestion, constipation, headaches, mood swings and
general tiredness can all be reduced or completely resolved. It
can also help ease backache and swollen feet, legs & hands.
But
Reflexology is especially beneficial in the final trimester and
can help ensure a good circulation to the pelvic region &
uterus, help with a breach presentation and generally facilitate a
healthy, natural labour. Reflexology has also been shown to be
helpful to “bring on” labour by stimulating the uterus &
helping with the cascade of hormones when a woman is over due.
Good
antenatal nutrition is the best gift you can give to your growing
baby, and ensuring a healthy pregnancy & building happy,
healthy babies! At
TheWholeU, we stock & recommend Nourish
Fertility Pregnancy supplements to support our clients.
Postnatal
Care
The
postnatal period refers to the 6 weeks directly following
childbirth. After the birth many mothers dive straight in &
forget about their own health & well-being. BUT for all of the
same reasons that Reflexology is so important to offer women extra
care during pregnancy, it is equally
important to provide extra support post partum.
Doing
too much too soon can be very depleting to a system that has just
undergone a very taxing period.
Physically,
the kind of supplementation that reflexology brings helps to
promote the body's natural healing functions to their fullest
potential by boosting your immune & lymphatic systems,
harmonizing the hormonal system & ensuring good circulation,
as well as giving you some well earned “time out”.
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Emotionally,
the postnatal period can be very different from some
mother's expectations. The first few days are often filled
with feelings of both elation and depression, with many
and varied swings between the two. This is thought to be
due to the severe hormonal fluctuations, especially in the
first week after birth.
These
feelings are expected to subside after a few days, and
very often do settle. Some women however, experience more
significant symptoms and for much longer than a few days.
This can eventually lead to what is referred to as
postnatal depression. Reflexology post partum is very
beneficial for balancing the hormones and will often help
women to feel more stable & back to their “old”
selves.
I
am able to do postnatal home visits, as we would not
promote traveling during your first week of recovery.
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Menopause
In
western societies there are many negative associations to the
menopause – fall in fertility, lower hormone levels, lack of sex
drive, the problems with the “empty nest syndrome” and
generally a lack of confidence as a woman. Ultimately, these are
all associated with loss. Eastern cultures however, see this time
of life as one of great wisdom and experience. It is interesting
that women in these cultures do not seem to have the same negative
physical and emotional symptoms of the menopause or perimenopause
as we do in ours.
Afterall,
Menopause is a NATURAL life stage and the body, if at optimum
health, will naturally fulfill the hormonal needs of a woman at
this time. Unfortunately,
with today’s stressful lifestyles and often deficient diets
(especially if in the years just leading up to menopause) mean
that the body is not in the best health to meet the new hormonal
requirements effectively.
This
is where the common menopausal symptoms arise:
Hot
flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, mood swings, depression,
anxiety, low libido & poor energy levels are just a few of the
discomforts women commonly report. These symptoms and emotional
swings can be tremendously distracting and have an unhealthy
over-ride in a woman's life.
At
TheWholeU, we recognise that menopause can have a very strong
impact on how a woman is feeling about herself and her life and
how important it is to support a woman at this time.
We encourage women to embrace this phase of their life with
the strongest sense of self confidence possible.
Reflexology
can help to harmonise your hormones and also help clarify your
mind, thereby regaining some balance to the whole U – helping
you feel more like yourself again. Together with the right
nutritional advice, herbs, supplements and flower essences, the
process can be made much easier without the need for further
medical intervention like HRT.
See
also Research & Articles
page
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