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I originally went to Annapurna Naturopathic Clinic 4 years ago for chronic digestive problems that I had suffered from for many years and was starting to experience daily. Following the recommendations by Dr. Darou, my problems were gone within 9 months and have not re-occured . Since then I have sought treatment with great results for many things including fertility, prenatal and post-partum support. I would definitely (and have) recommend the clinic to friends and colleagues.
Hope you have a happy new year! Here is a recent pic of Lily.
Vicki
My Story,
After trying to conceive for 6 months, I spoke to my family doctor about my concerns. The main concern being that my menstrual cycles were averaging 60 days long. Her response was to keep trying for a couple of months and if I didn't become pregnant in that time, we would try using Clomid to help me to ovulate. I really wasn't looking for a "band-aid" solution. I felt that there must be a reason for my overly long cycles.
In trying to deal with this on my own, I read "Taking Charge of Your Fertility" and found Dr. Shawna Darou's clinic in the list of references on the accompanying website. I've never been one to use natural methods or try holistic medicine, but calling Dr. Darou was the best decision I made. After the initial consultation, I felt she knew me better than my own family doctor! Dr. Darou looked at all of my medical information, as well as my lifestyle (diet and exercise habits) and came up with an individual treatment plan, which included Acupuncture (which I never thought in a million years I would be doing!). After just 4 weeks of treatment I became pregnant! Unfortunately, about 8 weeks into the pregnancy I miscarried, but Dr. Darou was there to support me and we continued with the treatments. I conceived again shortly thereafter and now have a beautiful, healthy baby girl. Dr. Darou's warm, gentle nature and natural methods made this treatment option an amazing alternative to what I was being offered by conventional physicians. Dealing with infertility issues can be very frustrating, but working with Dr. Darou at Annapurna Naturopathic Clinic was an incredibly positive experience for me and I highly recommend it to anyone who is trying to conceive.
I'm so thrilled that you're opening this clinic! Fantastic!
All the best,
Julianna
Hi Shawna,
I am nearly five months and feeling full of joy (and food, lots of food!) Everything is progressing beautifully and I have a wonderful doula out here and well...life couldn't be better.
Due to thyroid disease, I suffered from amenorrhea and anovulation (lack of or scant menses and ovulation) for over 10 years. After being diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome in my early 30s, I was repeatedly told that my fertility prospects were grim. I went to see Shawna and after assessing my condition, she advised a course of supplements, dietary and lifestyle changes, combined with herbal remedies and acupuncture. She also gave me an enormous education in reproduction and conception - you'd think in my 30s I'd know this stuff! I am now five months into a beautiful, healthy, easy-breezy pregnancy and I am always telling people "Shawna Darou got me pregnant!!!" Okay, so my partner had a little something to do with it, but I am eternally grateful for Shawna's expertise and gentle guidance, resulting in this miracle.
K.W.
As a 28 year old athletic, otherwise healthy woman, I thought I would have no problems getting pregnant. I counted the days from my period to time the perfect baby conceiving window and I would tell my husband that this month we were going to get pregnant. Each month I would get so depressed when my period would come so I eventually sought out professional guidance. I went to a fertility clinic and was put on hormone drugs that regulated my cycle. The drugs were intense and caused me a lot of discomfort, not to mention a lot of money. After a few months of drug treatment, I found Dr. Shawna Darou's clinic online. I liked the idea of a naturopathic fertility clinic. I had read a lot about the benefits of acupuncture when dealing with infertility so I was eager to see if it would work with me. My experience at the clinic was one of calm, reassurance and supportive. The acupuncture was not painful and I could really feel it work. I adjusted my diet and took the recommended natural supplements and my cycle really changed. I am now the mother of a beautiful 1 year old girl. When I get ready to consider a second child, I will return to Dr. Darou for treatment.
A.R.
Our daughter, Bronwyn, was born on October 14, 2005 weighing in at 10 lbs. 5 oz. My journey as a 33-year-old first-time mother began with Dr. Shawna Darou where under her care, I was given natural fertility support. My husband and I underwent a detox program prior to conception, which included eating organic exclusively. Acupuncture awakened my fertility, literally. I recall at one session feeling a sensation that my body was ready to conceive and baby energy was in the air! A couple of months later we did and under Shawna’s suggestion I secured midwifery care. Dr. Darou was instrumental in guiding me to achieve my goal to experience a natural pregnancy and birth. My pregnancy symptoms were minimal and my labor was relatively quick - 6 hours, which included 15 minutes of pushing. Bronwyn demonstrates a strong immune system and is mainly treated with homeopathic medicine.
Seeking natural fertility support allowed me to trust myself, my body and my natural instincts. It is a gentle process and I am eternally grateful that I chose Dr. Darou's clinic for this journey.
Susan Davies
Toronto, ON
Shawna Darou played an instrumental role in the conception of our first child. With a history of PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) we weren't sure how difficult it would be to conceive. She recommended several natural and non-invasive treatments, which included dietary changes, supplements, and acupuncture in order to result in my pregnancy within a short time. Shawna was also extremely helpful during and after the pregnancy in providing lots of advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, boosting energy levels, and caring for the baby. Her enthusiasm, compassion, and patience throughout the process was absolutely wonderful! We will definitely be working with her for our second child when we're ready.
Shawna has also added tremendous value to my health over the past few years. I initially approached her for a different perspective on my health, having only been exposed to "conventional" doctors in the past. I was particularly concerned about insulin resistance and weight issues. Shawna offered me wonderful advice and natural remedies which helped me significantly with my weight loss efforts, when little else had worked in the past. She also addresses the root cause of health issues, as opposed to finding ways to mask symptoms - and always explains what is happening with my body in terms that I can understand. My energy levels, mood, and overall health changed in an extremely positive way as a result of her guidance. Shawna is an invaluable part of my health care efforts - I never leave her office without feeling like I have a plan. I can't thank her enough for everything she has done!
- MM (Toronto)
After a diagnosis of male-factor infertility, my
husband and I decided to try to build a family by
artificial insemination with a sperm donor. By this
time I was 40 years old with an irregular cycle and I
was concerned about my own fertility. I started seeing
Shawna for regular acupuncture treatments. After a few
months of treatment with Shawna we tried insemination
and I got pregnant the first time.
A year after our son was born, when I was 42, we tried
for a second child again through artificial
insemination. After two unsuccessful attempts, I
resumed treatments with Shawna and two months later I
was pregnant.
Shawna brings a sense of calm humanity and empowerment
to the incredibly stressful ordeal of infertility and
medical fertility clinics. We are thankful to have had
her support, and perspective. I would recommend to
anyone wanting to get pregnant to seek out Shawna’s
expertise.
BG
I had been diagnoses with Hypothalamic Amenorrhea in 2001, and had seen many doctors and specialists who weren't able to help me and didn't have anything to offer besides synthetic hormone solutions, and "wait and see". It was discouraging, because I not only wanted my body to be healthy and produce hormones naturally again, but my husband and I wanted to have a baby, and this clearly couldn't happen if my body wasn't producing hormones. I didn't feel comfortable with the idea of standard infertility treatments, and began to look at other options. In early 2004, I found information on Shawna Darou and promptly made an appointment. She discussed all aspects of my health - not just the hormone problem, but my diet, activity and lifestyle and made some suggestions about things that I could change. She also prescribed some supplements and a homeopathic remedy as well as gentle acupuncture. After about 6 weeks of treatments, I had the biggest surprise of my life - my hormones had not only returned, but I was actually pregnant! I had a very easy and healthy pregnancy, and gave birth to a very healthy little girl. I was easily able to breast feed and my cycles returned (while breastfeeding!) after a year at exactly 28 day intervals! 3 years later, my husband and I wanted to have another baby, and it happened easily the first month! I don't think that could have happened if I went the standard route of fertility treatments the first time. Shawna helped my body to heal and balance itself, instead of just overriding the symptom with chemicals and medical procedures. Shawna also helped me to treat some mild morning sickness early in this pregnancy with homeopathy. This pregnancy has also been very easy and healthy and we are now expecting our second baby any time now.
I became pregnant with our first child in August 2001, exactly three months after I had suffered my first "real" miscarriage. My husband and I were hoping for a handful of children to share the love of a large family that I knew growing up, but after taking a year to settle into motherhood, our attempts at growing this family came up disappointing. After numerous miscarriages, I began to realize that something wasn't right... as anyone who has had repeated miscarriages would know, a miscarriage is more common than one would normally think, but once it happened a third and fourth time, I was beginning to fall into a pit of despair.
I had always had an affinity for naturopathic treatment and on inquiry to a friend, I paid a visit to Shawna Darou. We had a few introductory sessions where Shawna concluded that I had a blockage in the pelvic / uterine / stomach area (where I know I hold all my stress, pressure, etc.) and therefore I was having attachment problems. While there was a lot more "physiology" to the diagnosis, the message was simple: my body, due to stress, was simply not creating a healthy and hospitable environment for an embryo to grow. I had been seeing a well-regarded fertility specialist for almost two years and had grown tired and stressed of the all too clinical nature of the treatment. I recall that specialist telling me that "there is no clinical proof of a link between stress and miscarriage", a statement I wanted to believe, but one that still doesn't resonate with me.
In discussion with Shawna, we settled on a plan whereby I would try a homeopathic medicine for a cycle, and failing that we would combine the medicine with acupuncture as a follow-up treatment. Despite my want to be live that this would work, something in the back of my mind was unsure and I recall laughing at myself when I put the homeopathic medicine in my mouth on the way home in the car. Home I got home, I lay down on the couch and shockingly. the entire region from my stomach down to my thighs just unwound in the most relaxing and calm way. I thought there was no way for the medicine to be working this fast and this completely.
To my amazement, when I took a pregnancy test two weeks later, what was normally a barely visible line in all my miscarriages was this time a much more evident line indicating a pregnancy. It turned out that that day of "unwinding" proved to be the exact date of implantation (I'm very regular and this is usually on or around my 25th day). Though there was a bit of luck involved in the timing of the homeopathic, I am convinced, given the very obvious relaxation I felt that day, that this healthy pregnancy would not have happened were it not for the assistance of Shawna Darou. Thank you Shawna... I am attaching a picture of my "little" Jack.. a healthy, happy and beautiful little boy.
All the best,
Jane White
Just two months before my wedding I went to my family doctor complaining of terrible night sweats. My thyroid tests came back normal and so she suggested that I could be entering menopause. My husband and I were devastated and not yet ready to try for a family, despite knowing it may be our last chance. Luckily for me my doctor referred me for further testing with an endocrinologist. As it turned out I did have a thyroid condition (hyper) as well as polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) . I was given medication and monitored for a year. Despite treatment my weight remained low and I rarely had a period. I was told to "fatten up" if I ever wanted children.
When my husband and decided we were ready to have children we headed straight for a fertlility clinic. I was told that we would be pregnant very quickly. We were elated! As any one who has struggled with fertility issues knows, it is emotionally taxing. Daily appointments at 7am, getting your hopes up only to have them dashed. I felt like there was nothing I could do except sit and wait for the doctors to figure it out. I didn't smoke, ate well, worked out daily and was in great shape (at least on the outside). I decided that there had to be more I could do to help this process along. I googled "fertlilty and naturpoath" and went through a couple of unimpressive sites. When I found Annapurna Naturopathic I was reeled in by the quality of the website and the information contained therein. I promptly made an appointment with Shawna.
Working with Shawna was wonderful. I quickly learned I wasn't as healthy as I thought (although I had always suspected something wasn't quite right). Shawna worked in tandem with my fertility treatments, scheduling acupuncture sessions before and after IUI. I gave up gluten, coffee and most alcohol and was taking supplements appropriate for my issues. I gave myself over 110% to this process and slowly began to regain some control over my health.
In May 2007 after working with the ferility clinic for a year and Shawna for several months we decided to go ahead and try Invitrofertilization (IVF). In June 2007 we finally got the positive pregnancy test we'd been working towards. I'll never know for sure if my work with Shawna is what did it, but I strongly believe that it did. I was entering a high risk pregnany feeling better about myself than ever before thanks to the dietary and lifestyle changes Shawna coached me through. In February 2008 I gave birth to twin boys weighing 6lbs 1oz and 6lbs 7oz.
Maricke Emanoilidis
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