National Fertility Week: Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine

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Good Morning!

 

National Fertility Week: Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine

 

This week is National Fertility Awarenss Week. Especially close to my heart,

helping woman get pregnant naturally has been my specialty for many years. This

week, I will review the many ways to help increase fertility in both woman and

men.

 

Traditional (TCM) is the oldest, continually practiced, and

professionally administered health care system in the world. It is a documented

medical system spanning over 2,500 years based on comprehensive philosophies,

rational theories, clinically tested and empirically verified by over 100

generations of highly educated practitioners. is a total system

of internal medicine which is comprised of a diagnostic procedure based on

signs, symptoms and treatment styles including acupuncture, herbal medicine,

exercise, diet and meditation. It�s foundation is based on the principles of

balance; the interdependent relationship of Yin and Yang. Through this balance,

health is achieved and maintained.

 

Traditional is often helpful where conventional medicine is

not. Certain disorders can complicate fertility. The goal in Chinese medicine is

to better manage or resolve these disorders such as endometriosis, PCOS, pelvic

inflammatory disease (PID), immune-related infertility and menstrual problems

with acupuncture and herbal medicine.

 

Acupuncture and herbal medicine can help with issues of irregular menses, excess

NK cells amd works with gonadotropin therapy to produce follicles in women

undergoing in vitro fertilization. Low sperm count and sperm motility are

fertility issues that men face and the combination of acupuncture and herbal

medicine has shown to benefit men with these issues.

 

Infertility candidates for acupuncture are women or men who have a functional,

rather than a structural reason. The American Academy of Medical Acupuncture,

finds it helps as many as 65-80 percent of these cases.

 

While acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine cannot guarantee 100% success, it

can aim to improve your odds at achieving pregnancy either with TCM alone or in

combination with acupuncture and IVF. Acupuncture and herbs can help by:

 

1. Regulating the hormones to produce a larger number of follicles.

 

2. Improve the function of the ovaries to produce better quality eggs.

 

3. Relax the patient and decrease stress.

 

4. Increase blood flow to the uterus.

 

5. Increase the thickness of the uterine lining.

 

6. Strengthen the immune system.

 

7. Lessen the side effects of drugs used in IVF.

 

8. Prevent the uterus from contracting.

 

9. Improve semen to create better quality and quantity of embryos.

 

10. Decrease chances of miscarriage

 

Acupuncture and herbal medicine can be an effective complement to your

treatment. Acupuncture redirects your vital energy into a more balanced flow. It

provides support to the underlying importance of better digestion and improved

circulation. Acupuncture releases tension in the muscles. This allows increased

flow of blood, lymph, and nerve impulses to affected areas, decreasing the

stress experienced by you.

 

TCM classifies Infertility into pattern differentials:

 

Chinese medicine looks at Western diagnosis in patterns. Two woman can have an

" infertility " diagnosis, but can have two completely different patterns. This

is the most powerful approach to treating disease, where Western medicine groups

everyone into a one size fits all treatment plan.

 

According to TCM philosophy, the Kidneys govern the reproductive system. If you

are having problems conceiving, there is often a deficiency in the Kidneys or

" kidney energy " . Symptoms of Kidney deficiency include lower back pain, weak

legs, dry mucous membranes, night sweats, cold feet, irregular menses, low

libido, increased urinary frequency, and nighttime urination, to name a few.

(During menopause, a woman's Kidney Essence, decreases, and many of the same

symptoms occur.) A TCM practitioner will suggest taking herbal supplements to

increase the " kidney energy " and nourish the body. Your practitioner should also

recommend a diet containing foods that nourish the Kidneys, such as walnuts,

black sesame seeds, barley, tofu, black soybean, wheat germ, seaweeds, various

beans, meat, and wheatgrass.

 

1. Liver Qi Stagnation and/or Liver, Spleen, Stomach Disharmony: physical and

mental fatigue, headaches, depression, sighing, chest tightness and

hypochondriac distension, alternating loose stools and constipation, irritable

bowel syndrome, bitter taste in the mouth. Tongue is dusky, with thin white

coat. Pulse is wiry.

 

2. Blood Stasis: excessive menstrual bleeding, surgical procedures or emotional

trauma can cause these problems. Clinically this will manifest as infertility;

scanty periods; delayed periods with dark purple menstrual blood and blood

clots; painful menstruation; frequent abdominal pain; a pale tongue body with

purple spots; and a thin-wiry pulse.

 

3. Heart Blood and/or Yin Deficiency: fatigue, palpitations, irritability,

disorientation, forgetfulness, insomnia, dream-disturbed sleep, hot flashes,

night sweats, pale face. Tongue is pale or has a slightly red tip, with thin

white coat. Pulse is thready, rapid or choppy.

 

4. Kidney Qi and Yang Deficiency possibly with Spleen Qi Deficiency: fatigue,

soreness or pain of the low back, weakness in the knees, cold sensation all over

body, morning diarrhea, frequent urination, poor diet and nutrition, shortness

of breath that worsens with movement. This can manifest as impotence in men; or

irregular menses in women. Tongue is enlarged and pale, with scallops and a thin

white coat. Pulse is thready, weak and deep.

 

5. Phlegm Obstruction and Dampness Retention: fatigue, listlessness, sleepiness,

plum-pit qi, chest tightness, puffy face and legs, and overweight or heavy

sensation of the body. Dusky tongue with moist or greasy coat. Slippery or full

pulse.

 

6. Blood Deficiency: due to loss of blood from trauma, surgery, or childbirth.

Insufficient blood production due to fatigue or blood stagnation. Symptoms will

include failure to conceive; delayed periods with scanty, light-colored menses,

or copious, watery menses; absence of menstruation; pale complexion; a thin,

weak body; dizziness; palpitations; breathlessness; insomnia; poor memory;

tiredness; a pale tongue body with a thin-white tongue coating; and a thin-soft

pulse.

 

 

Chinese Herbal Formulas

 

Chinese herbal formulations are specifically used to create decoctions or teas

and are a very powerful part of healing dis-ease. Herbal decoctions can also be

given in " tea pills " , tinctures, and granules or as an external patch, compress

or bath. Chinese herbal medicine uses several hundred substances, mostly of

plant origin (roots, seeds, flowers, twigs, crystals, bones and barks). These

are hardly ever prescribed singly.

 

They are combined into a formula, which usually contains between 8 and 12

ingredients. It is the " herbal synergy " that seems to be the strength behind

Chinese herbal formulas. The exact combination is adjusted to suit the patient's

individual condition, and is likely to be altered as the treatment progresses to

take account of changes that have occurred. It is therefore a very flexible

system, which can be closely developed to the needs of the patient.

 

 

Andrew Pacholyk, MS. L.Ac

http://www.peacefulmind.com/infertility.htm

Therapies for healing

mind, body, spirit