Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Treatment
- Acupuncture: including Acupressure and Massage
- Herbal Medicine
- Counseling: Nutritional and Lifestyle
- Exercise: Cardio, TaiJi, Qigong, and Yoga
- Meditation: Breathing Exercises, Mental Discipline
Eastern Medical Diagnosis These are the things that make up Traditional Chinese Medicine. You may be asking yourself, "How can these things help enhance my potential for Fertility ?" TCM is a
complete holistic system that addresses the body, mind, and spirit (emotions). It analyzes all the parts that make up the sum of a complete person. When a TCM practitioner (Licensed Acupuncturist) diagnoses someone, he/she takes all of these things into account.
We analyze all sorts of things from how you sleep, digestive performance, level of energy,
your feelings, diet, temperature regulation, stress levels, pain in the body, activity levels,
etc. We touch the body to identify areas of hypertonicity (tight muscles). We even look at the Tongue to determine how you are digesting your food and the health of your internal organs. We examine the pulse as well to determine even more about the internal energetic state of the body. This may sound strange to you, but this is the way people in Asia have been diagnosed for thousands of years. In modern times, we also consider your family and personal
Based on the signs and symptoms of the patient, the Licensed Acupuncturist will make a Differential Diagnosis that may have one or more TCM syndromes. Based on these findings, a treatment plan will be customized to best address the individual needs of the patient. The
treatment plan can simply be Acupuncture. If the patient is willing to include other TCM treatments listed above balance and harmony can be restored in a shorter amount of time and it will be retained for a longer period of time. Herbal Medicine is probably the most popular adjunct treatment selected and also the most powerful. Some patients will include
some Nutritional and Lifestyle modifications, some Exercise, and maybe even some Meditation and Mental Discipline techniques. The typical on-the-go impatient American
is not expected to incorporate all of these things in their treatment plan. Do what makes
sense for you and leave the rest behind. Our Licensed Acupuncturists will do their best to
develop a treatment plan that fits best for you and your particular situation.
Western Medical Diagnosis and Treatment for Fertility
For Females:
Diagnosis is based on age, menstrual cycle history, Family and Personal History,
bloodwork to examine hormone levels, sometimes Ultrasound to look at the Ovaries and
Uterus, and an HSG to see if your fallopian tubes are blocked. These are some of the basic
diagnostic techniques OB/GYN's and Reproductive Endocrinologists use to determine
you Fertility Potential. There are a host of more complex diagnostics that are used if
more rare situations present themsleves; like immune system issues, blood clotting,
genetic defects, PCOS, endometriosis, etc.
Treatment starting with your OB/GYN may begin with taking Clomid for several
months to attempt to enhance your own body's ability to produce more than one follicle
per cycle to increase your odds of conceiving. Clomid has several common side effects
like night sweats, thinning of the uterine lining, digestive disturbance, headaches, etc.
It can be a useful tool in increasing Fertility Potential, especially when combined with
TCM treatment. Acupuncture tends to quell the side effects and further enhance the
patient's Fertility Potential. Some OB/GYN's also do Intra Uterine Insemination (IUI)
either with or without Clomid to increase the chance of conception. The next step is usually
working with a Reproductive Endocrinologist to try IUIs with Clomid, Femara(Letrozole),
Tamoxifen, or injectable Follicle Stimualting Hormones (FSH). After a series of IUIs the
patient may be encouraged to try IVF. These treatments are expensive and raise the risk of
many side effects at the time of treatment and years down the road. Make sure to educate
yourself fully about the benefits and risks of these treatments if you are considering them.
For Males:
Diagnosis for males is far less complicated because of the nature of sperm production.
For males, the supply of sperm is constantly being replenished. Generally, an OB/GYN won't even order a sperm analysis until after several months of trying to conceive naturally has not been successful. Even then, the woman is usually looked at more carefully before even considering the male. When a simple sperm analysis is performed, the male will get a referral to a Urologist. The MD will examine three basic criteria: Sperm Count, Motility
Rate (the ability of forward progress) , and Morphology (the shape). If all of these check out to be within acceptable limits, the MD will not consider the male to be a factor of the
reason for infertility.
Treatment for subpar results usually goes as follows. If one or more of these come back from the lab outside the acceptable limits your OB/GYN or RE may put the male on a regimen of Clomid for three to six months to see if results get better. If not, they will usually recommend IUI or IVF depending on the severity of the condition. NC Natural Fertility recommends a regimen of TCM treatments for several months to address these issues with or without Western treatment. Our experience has seen all three criteria improve after one complete sperm production cycle (about 70 days) including Herbal Medicine and Acupuncture treatment. TCM treatment may save you thousands of dollars in expensive
Western treatments or improve things in order to conceive naturally. As a bonus, you will learn about things that may be compromising these three sperm criteria that Western doctors discuss with you. Things like: Nutrition, Lifestyle Habits, Toxic Exposure to Chemicals and/or Radiation, Pharmaceutical Use, Recreational Drug Use, Dry Cleaning
Chemical Exposure, EMF Radiation from your cellphones and Laptop, etc.
