INFERTILITY FOR MEN & WOMEN
Infertility can be a crushing blow. Endless visits to doctors and specialists, expensive fertility treatments, and even just the waiting, lead to frustration, depression, and feelings of hopelessness. You’re not alone.
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Infertility plagues approximately 7.3 million women of childbearing age each year. Any sort of imbalance can be a stumbling block to conception.
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Couples often turn to mainstream fertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization and injectables. The discomfort and pain due to side effects and the risks of the procedures alone are reasons why those struggling to get pregnant should consider all of their options. Failed treatments lead to further devastation and at times, serious financial burden. Unfortunately there is no magic pregnancy pill. It’s all about increasing your chances of conceiving.
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Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest fertility treatments and has been practiced for thousands of years.
It’s still around today, because it works. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly common for Western reproductive specialists to refer patients to TCM practitioners.
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Many women are disheartened when they’re ushered into a specialist’s office and given a one-size-fits-all diagnosis, all while the doctor checks his watch.
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Do you feel like you’re not being listened to?
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Do your appointments feel cold and impersonal?
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This is where TCM differs.
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The process of conception is multi-tiered and complex. Issues at any step in the process can disrupt the ability to conceive or carry a healthy pregnancy to term. In many cases, Western medical doctors treat one specific factor. A licensed acupuncturist focuses on remedying the root cause of the issues, which could be anything from high FSH to ovarian cysts, and considers each woman as a whole, accounting for the the body, mind, and spirit.
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Diagnosis is based on every aspect of health, from the coating of your tongue to the flow and color of menstrual blood, and not just the usual suspects.
A licensed acupuncturist takes the time to listen to you and keeps in mind the laundry list of potential causes for infertility. Infertility can be a mixture of factors including biological, genetic, environmental, lifestyle, and physical elements. This allows for an individualized treatment targeted to you and you alone. TCM brings the body, emotions, and spirit into harmony. Appointments are more in depth and a licensed acupuncturist will broach many possible reasons for infertility that aren’t addressed by Western medical doctors.
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In Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), it is thought that imbalances in Qi, or energy that travels along pathways called meridians, leads to illness and health problems. A licensed acupuncturist targets certain acupuncture points along the meridians by stimulating them with needles. These points are associated with different organs and organ systems, conditions, and body functions. After acupuncture treatments, Qi moves from areas where it’s excessive to areas where it’s deficient, bringing the body back into balance. This can alleviate infertility disorders. In addition, acupuncture has a soothing restorative effect, which helps the body to embrace an embryo.
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We not only offer TCM for fertility, but everything else needed for you individually - body, mind & spirit.
Within the TCM scope; we use many modalities in our treatment protocols such as hands on healing, acupuncture, laser therapy, tuning forks, herbal formulations, life style & nutritional & mindfulness coaching, and many other modalities to help your body, mind and spirit, be the best it can be.
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From a Western perspective, studies have found that TCM releases endorphins and brain hormones that play a role in conception and regulating the menstrual cycle. There are also neuro-endocrine effects and the two areas of the brain and the ovaries that form the network that dictates egg production and ovulation, are impacted. TCM can increase blood flow to the reproductive organs and stimulate the ovaries with increased hormones. The uterus is often strengthened, which makes it more capable of absorbing these hormones and nutrients that are necessary to secure an embryo.
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There are no 100% effective treatments, as everyone is different. TCM isn’t a one-time deal either. It takes a course of treatments to gain the benefits. But TCM can significantly enhance your chances at conception and a healthy pregnancy by addressing underlying causes of infertility and creating a healthy reproductive environment.
It’s important to see a licensed, fully trained acupuncturist for the highest chances of success. Furthermore, those who would like to combine Eastern and Western medicine can enhance Western infertility treatments through the use of TCM.
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Regretfully many practitioners who use acupuncture or what they call "dry needling" in their practice in the United States today are not licensed and have very little acupuncture training. It’s not much better in Canada, the UK, or Australia either! They often take abbreviated courses and don’t complete supervised treatments on actual patients.
A qualified, licensed acupuncturist has accrued well over 2,000+ hours of acupuncture and Chinese medicine & western medicine education, which is between three to four years of Master’s level, and an added two years of the doctorate level - on-site training at an accredited college. They also have several hundreds of hours of hands-on clinical experience under their belt.
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It is impossible to become proficient in an entirely different form of medicine, learn precise needling techniques, philosophy, fundamentals, a new diagnostic criteria, and all of the appropriate acupuncture points as well in several weekend classes or less. In addition, those practitioners who are certified, but not licensed, do not need to take the national certification exam or complete any continuing education, while this is all par for the course for a fully trained acupuncturist.
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For your safety and to get the most effective treatment possible, you must be under the care of a licensed acupuncturist.
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