It has dawned on me that we are quickly approaching 2011 with the on coming of the fall. 2011 is a year that we often associate with sci-fi novels and flying space cars, but the everyday struggles and pains are as real as they can be. Even in these advanced ages of the internet and technology, we are often times bogged down by work, life, and things that often seem to be completely out of our control. Therefore, we often find solace in the one place the one shelter that has always brought us comfort — family. And for those that are hoping to build one of their own, today’s letter is especially dedicated to you.
Recently I read a very interesting article in the New York Times. Written by Lesley Alderman in May, 2010, the article specifically told a story of how acupuncture helped a 29 year old woman successfully get pregnant without IVF. The article addresses not only the story of her success, but also the physical and emotional pain on mothers-to-be world wide when it comes to the inability to conceive. A great deal of research has gone into how to “cure” this problem, but yet we often find that the human body sometime is more mysterious than we can give it credit for.
From this respect, I turned to documentation of the practice of Traditional Chinese Medicine in ancient China. Infertility treatment via acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine has been well recorded in Chinese medical literature, where classical journals have documented treatment of women for hundreds of years. While a decade ago in the Western world, combining traditional Chinese medicine along side with IVF was rather an esoteric practice, today through its proven success it is much more accepted by the general public.
Medical research on this topic in the recent years indicate that acupuncture increases the chances of a successful pregnancy by 30% when combined with IVF, comparing with stand alone IVF procedures (according to [need name of the article on the exact date April, 2002, in Fertility and Sterility). Key contributing factor is that acupuncture improves blood circulation in the pelvic area, which in turn improves the nutritional intake of the ovaries and uterus, resulting in better re-production functions, readjusted hormone level (leading to higher quality egg production), and healthier environment for embryo implantation (via IVF).
These treatments work in several ways. From dealing with side effects of IVF medication, to stress reduction, and to general pain management, acupuncture can play a vital role in dealing with health issues that often arises during the IVF process, which itself can often cause anxiety and stress with expecting mothers. In addition, herbal medicine plays a key compliment to acupuncture treatments. And given the emotional and physical demands of the IVF procedure, these non-intrusive methods will help transform the process to one that is more manageable for the patient.
Acupuncture clinics around the world have been helping women from all walks of life with infertility via the use of Traditional Chinese Medicine. If this is your first time considering the use of TCM along with IVF, I highly encourage doing a bit of research yourself and not completely trust in one particular source or the other; after all this is your body, and your baby. If and when you decide that Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine is the right thing for you — please do not hesitate to get in touch for a free consultation (617-731-0504). We have a number of cases for you to review, and expecting mothers that can tell you about their experience too. You will often find that acupuncture and traditional medicine, contrary to typical misconceptions, is a manageable process with real results. You often times cannot explain why a certain pressure point, or herb, control your appetite, quit smoking, eases head aches, or help you to conceive. Therefore if you would like to learn more, please do get in touch to learn more.
Sincerely,
Guangli Xu, Ac. Lic