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Licensed
Acupuncturist & Chinese Herbalist
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Fertility & Acupuncture
Fertile Soul™ programs promote health of body, mind, and spirit using
Taoist, traditional Chinese, and modern therapies. These practices reconnect
us with our natural roots, identify and gently correct physical imbalances,
limiting beliefs and habits, and encourage the unobstructed flow of the life
force through us. Ten Ways Chinese Medicine Enhances Fertility.Acupuncture's benefit for a range of feritlity-related issues is consistently demonstrated in studies, including a 2002 landmark study in Fertility and Sterility, (American Society for Reproductive Medicine) where pregnancy rates were 43% with acupuncture and 26% without it. Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can:
Acupuncture can be used alone or as an adjunct to other fertility enhancement procedures and can be employed at any stage of the feritlity process, inclucing during an IVF cycle. The Diagnosis of Infertility is a MythAs long as the anatomical structures are present, a medical diagnosis of “infertility” is often a fallacy. Many factors can cause a woman to have difficulty conceiving, but once these factors are overcome and a woman’s body is restored to health, conception can occur naturally.
Our reproductive systems are made up of organs and hormones that must work together seamlessly so conditions will be right for pregnancy to occur. When the health of the body is restored, a woman’s reproductive system will do what it was designed to do naturally: conceive and carry to term a healthy child.
To understand how TCM works see these pages: acupuncture, chinese herbal medicine, and oriental medicine.
Men can also benefit from acupuncture, as treatment often invigorates the sperm, enhancing both the count and motility. In addition to being relatively painless, one of acupuncture's
biggest advantages is that it produces no harmful side effects such as
potentially risky multiple births or ectopic pregnancies. And there
are none of the side effects of fertility drugs. Chinese Medicine Increases Effectiveness of Assisted Reproductive TechnologyAcupuncture is obviously improving the success rates of high tech reproductive medicine. Just how acupuncture does this is evidenced by many studies:
In 2002, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine reported that in a study of 114 women who were receiving in-vitro fertilization (IVF), half were given acupuncture before and after the embryo transfer while the other half received IVF only. The outcome was impressive; of the women who received IVF and acupuncture, 51 percent became pregnant as opposed to 36 percent of those who received IVF only. In addition, the miscarriage rate in the acupuncture group was only 8 percent as opposed to 20 percent in the control group. Herbal Therapies 'Can Help Boost Fertility' Experts Cite Benefits of Alternative Treatments Alternative therapies such as acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be crucial tools for childless couples, according to fertility experts who gathered last night for an event to mark the 30th anniversary of IVF. Learn more about Chinese Medicine increases the effectiveness of assisted reproductive technology
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| Women diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome historically do not respond positively to Western assisted reproductive techniques including in-vitro procedures; nor do they respond well to clomid alone, or any hormonal manipulation which does not address the state of the ovary's endocrine milleau over the previous three or more months of development. If they do become pregnant, they are at higher risk of miscarriage, again presumably because of the health of the egg and therefore the developing embryo. |
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There is little known about the causes of PCOS. It is associated with factors that influence the sympathetic nervous system. Many women with PCOS require prolonged treatment. Pharmaceutical drugs can be effective but have adverse side effects.
Experimental observations and clinical data from studies in women with PCOS suggest that acupuncture can exert long-lasting beneficial effects on metabolic and endocrine systems and ovulation.Clinical Studies
Studies done in Europe in the 1990s on anovulatory women with PCOS showed that
electro-acupuncture restored ovulation in one-third of the test subjects. Acupuncture
also reduced the endocrine indicators of PCOS, including LH/FSH ratios, mean
testosterone concentrations and beta-endorphin concentrations. Researchers
theorized that this improvement was due to an inhibition of hyperactivity in
the sympathetic nervous system. For more information, see Chapter 11 of The
Infertility Cure.
A Swedish/Italian study in 2000 described in the Biology of Reproduction Journal validated this theory. This study involved using injections of estradiol valerate, a kind of estrogen, to induce a state of polycystic ovaries in rats. Increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system resulted, followed by increased concentrations of nerve growth factor in the rats’ ovaries and the adrenal glands. Within sixty days, the rats developed polycystic ovaries. The rodent subjects were separated into two groups. The control group received no therapy and maintained features of PCOS. In contrast, those treated with acupuncture showed a reduction in the hyperactivity of the ovarian sympathetic nerve fibers, reduction of the increased nerve growth factor concentrations within the ovaries to normal and reduction the weight of the polycystic ovaries. These are all indicators of a reduction in the “stress” reaction within the nerve and blood supply of polycystic ovaries. Acupuncture treatments were effective at resolving this condition because they reduced the level of hypersympathetic nervous system response, relaxing the whole neuroendocrine system.
Learn more about PCOS and treatment optionsAccording to the Journal of the American Medical Association, endometriosis affects approximately 5 to 7 million American women. Researchers believe that endometriosis is directly related to infertility for 30-50% of all infertile women. Endometriosis has been labeled by some doctors as “the career woman’s disease” because of its high correlation with increased stress levels.
Symptoms of endometriosis include dysmenorrhea, pelvic pain, low backache radiating to the thigh, heavy menses, infertility or higher rate of miscarriage, irregular bleeding or spotting, pain on defecation, tender and enlarged ovaries, bloating or fatigue, painful intercourse, heavy menses with clots, menstrual diarrhea, pain 5-7 days before menses, during menses or with ovulation, no symptoms at all—30-35% of women with endometriosis do not suffer any pain or discomfort.
Learn more about Endometriosis and treatment options
One in 5 women will be diagnosed with uterine fibroids (myomas). Onset is in the woman's 30's-40's with 25-50% of women of childbearing age. Some types of fibroids can adversely affect fertility.
Symptoms from fibroids are related to their size and location. Many women with uterine fibroids have no symptoms. Approximately one-third of women will experience abnormal uterine bleeding, pain, or pressure in the lower abdomen. Some women will notice a mass which can occasionally be as large as a full-term pregnancy.
Learn more about Uterine Fibroids and treatment options
Stress is often a key factor in the fertility of both men and women. When people are under stress, the brain's neurochecmical balance is altered, thus changing hormone levels that affect the reproductive cycle.
Acupuncture counters the effects of stress and cortisol by releasing endorphins in the brain, which exert a calming effect.
Long term exposure to cortosol: compromises immune response, changes body
composition, causes depression and sleep impairment, increases risk of heath attack
and other health problems, causes reproductive dysfunction and altered eating
patterns.
Adrenaline is released by the adrenal glands during conditions of stress. This inhibits
our ability to utilize progesterone.In times of stress the pituitary gland emits higher levels of prolactin. Prolactin also
inhibits a woman’s fertility.When we’re under stress, the sympathetic nervous system can become
hyperstimulated. A hyperstimulated nervous system sends less blood to the uterus
and ovaries, thereby impairing their optimal functioning.
Sources of Chronic Stress
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Learn more about The effects of stress on fertility and how to manage it
Luke |
Elijah |
Evan |
Hi Lorraine. Just wanted to let you know that my MD appt went well. The baby appears well and moving a lot on ultrasound. It was amazing! The beautiful baby point you've been using must be working because it (the baby) is measuring 2 weeks larger than it really is. My husband is hoping for an NBA player ha ha.
Joyce L.
I was told I had PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome). I had been on all the fertility drugs (like clomid) to treat this and still felt totally out of wack and I couldn’t get pregnant. The first time, after many years, I began to actually feel healthy again was when I was seeing Lorraine for a special type of acupuncture treatment and Chinese fertility herbs. I’m now the proud mom of two healthy boys!
Sally M.
You were the first person I told that I was pregnant because I couldn’t believe it. We had been through so many failed tries with western medicine (invitro fertilization), I wanted to be sure before telling anyone. I’m almost 40 and I thought I had run out of time. I needed to find a way to increase my fertility. I can’t believe it took only a few weeks of treatment.
Lily T.
It’s only been a few weeks and amazingly I’ve returned to my normal energized self and all the discomforts of my period have disappeared. I don’t know if it was your acupuncture or the Chinese herbs, but something did it.
Donna P.
I had all the routine tests come back negative but I was still feeling lousy. I was depressed, overweight, my periods were irregular and painful, I had bloating and a host of odd symptoms. All that was being offered to me were drugs and/or surgery. I didn’t want to go either route so I thought I’d try acupuncture. I now feel so much more balanced. I’m almost scared to ever stop treatments because I don’t want to go back to the way I felt before.
Judy P.
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Your path to radiant health...
from motherhood to menopause.
Lorraine H. Harris, Licensed Acupuncturist & Chinese Herbalist
Specialist in fertility, women's health and rejuvenation, and the only
acupuncturist in Western North Carolina (WNC) and Asheville offering
the patented Fertile Soul Method™ and Mei Zen™ Cosmetic
Acupuncture.
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Results from the Nurses' Health Study on Fertility: The amount of carbohydrates in the diet doesn't affect fertility,
but the quality of those carbohydrates does. Full Report |