The definition of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss is three or more miscarriages prior to 20 weeks gestation.    However even one miscarriage takes it emotional toll.  Even though the statistical chances of carrying a baby to term are much more favorable than having another miscarriage it is probably better to take the necessary preventative health steps before trying to conceive again.    In Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine recurrent miscarriage shows that there is an underlying imbalance, either with the mother or father.   This imbalance is a reason the pregnancy is not taking hold and should be corrected.  Yes if your only goal is to have a baby then you can use IVF. But for the sake of the baby’s health and your health during pregnancy and postpartum it is wise to correct the underlying imbalance before getting pregnant.

The cause of miscarriage are multifaceted.  Read the rest of this entry

Acupuncture studies using the standard “Evidence Based Medicine” are difficult to conduct as there are limitation to how an effective placebo can be carried out. Even studies that use so called “sham” acupuncture may not necessary be a placebo as the sham can have physiological effects beyond just the mind. I know from a clinical perspective that acupuncture works, but showing it within the confines of the current research model is difficult. Anyone that says acupuncture is only a placebo effect I suggest they talk to someone that brought their animal (dog, cat, horse) to someone that does animal acupuncture. The results are often outstanding so if it is a placebo effect these creatures are experiencing then they are a lot smarter than we think.

An interesting study was just released that looked at acupuncture’s efficacy for preventing migraines. Read the rest of this entry

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a metabolic imbalance of a woman’s hormones. This imbalance can cause changes in the menstrual cycle (amenorrhea, irregular periods, dysmenorrhea), skin changes, small cysts in the ovaries, infertility, hair growth and other problems. In a woman’s normal menstrual cycle one (or more) eggs are released from the follicles in the ovaries. In PCOS the eggs do not mature and instead form small cysts in the ovaries. This can lead to infertility. Read the rest of this entry

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a female endocrine disorder where too much androgen hormone (testosterone) is being made in relations to estrogen.  It affects up to 10% of all women.   It is thought that improper insulin  regulation is a common cause and shows up in girls as young as 9 years old through post menopausal women. PCOS is one of the main causes of infertility, but PCOS is a symptom of an underlying endocrine imbalance not the reason for the infertility.

Common symptoms of PCOS include:

• Irregular or no menstrual periods (for women of reproductive age)
• Irregular ovulation, with or without monthly bleeding
• Acne
• Excess hair growth on the face and body
• Thinning scalp hair
• Accumulation of un-ruptured follicles on the periphery of the ovaries (mislabeled as “cysts”, often called polycystic ovaries)

It is not necessary to have all of these symptoms to have PCOS. In fact it is not necessary to have “polycystic ovaries” to have PCOS.  PCOS manifests itself differently in each woman.

I believe that Chinese Medicine is the best medicine on the planet to deal with PCOS and any hormonal imbalances.  Using acupuncture, herbs and nutrition we can regulate the hormonal levels sometimes within a few cycles.

There have been a couple of recent studies which show what has been known clinically for 2000 years.  Below are some of the articles written about the studies:

• Acupuncture and Exercise Relieve PCOS In this 16 week study from 2009 the once a week acupuncture group had fewer menstrual irregularities and a significant drop in testosterone.     Here is another article regarding this study.
• Acupuncture relieves PCOS better than exercise alone - In this similar study to the one above the acupuncture group had more menstrual regulation and a higher drop in testosterone than the exercise group.

In addition these studies only used acupuncture and exercise.   There was no dietary intervention or herbal medicine used as treatment.  Once we add in these modalities the success rate increases dramatically!

So if you have been diagnosed with PCOS absolutely consider using Chinese Medicine as a treatment modality.

Yours In Health,

George Mandler CNS LDN LicAc

Below is an abstract of a study released this week that demonstrates acupuncture’s benefits for traumatic brain injury patients.

J Head Trauma Rehabil. 2011 Mar 7.
Acupuncture for Treatment of Insomnia in Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Intervention Study. Read the rest of this entry

Institute: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, San Gerardo Hospital , Monza, Italy .

Author: Marra C, Pozzi I, Ceppi L, Sicuri M, Veneziano F, Regalia AL.

Journal: J Altern Complement Med.

Abstract Objectives: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in relieving perineal pain after mediolateral episiotomy during childbirth.

Design and subjects: Women with mediolateral episiotomy during delivery were enrolled in this study and were assigned to be treated or not with acupuncture. Outcomes measures: Perineal pain relieving effect of acupuncture was evaluated considering oral analgesics request during post-partum period and was the main outcome of this trial.

Results: A total of 42 women were enrolled in this trial. Twenty-one (21) women were treated with “wrist-ankle” acupuncture, inserting one needle in their right ankle. A second group of 21 women was not treated with acupuncture. Women in the acupuncture group were significantly less likely to experience pain; only 8 of them (38.1%) asked for analgesics. All women in the second group assumed oral analgesics because of perineal pain (p?<?0.01).

Conclusions: Wrist-ankle acupuncture during the postpartum period is effective for perineal pain relief after mediolateral episiotomy.

I always tell my patients that Chinese Medicine has a lot more to offer than allopathic medicine for the treatment of many gynecological issues. I feel that most cases of menstrual irregularities can be succesfully treated with Chinese Medicine and there is 2000 years of clinical data to back it up.
Read the rest of this entry

Chinese Medicine which includes acupuncture, herbal medicine and nutrition can often treat conditions concerning poor egg quality.   Often when a woman is labeled with poor egg quality they have other signs of poor circulation such as cold extremities, low energy and maybe skin conditions.   Most often the cause does not lie with the eggs, but the overall health of the body and poor circulation to the uterus and ovaries.

The quality of the eggs depend on the DNA and the environment in which they are developing.  The lifecycle of an egg is upwards of 150 days, but the 3 months prior to ovulation is the most critical time of cell division. During this critical time we want to increase blood flow to the ovaries and work on getting supportive nutrition to the body.  This may include herbal medicine and nutraceuticals such as minerals and vitamins if necessary.   We also want to make sure we aren’t causing additional inflammation in the body (and thus preventing reproductive blood flow) by eating foods which are causing immune reactions.

Acupuncture can increase blood flow to the reproductive organs which can thereby provide more blood flow to the ovaries and improve egg quality over time.  With any fertility treatment strategy besides using Chinese Medicine (acupuncture, herbs, shiatsu) we always want to make sure nutrition is sound.  Nutraceuticals such as powerful antioxidants like ubiquinol and alpha lipoic acid can help reduce an inflammation response.   Blood tests can uncover and food sensitivity issues.

In addition to the services we offer your home treatments of castor oil packs on the abdomen are used to increase blood flow to the uterus and ovaries.  Self massage and visualization are also important tools and we will provide information and resources on these techniques.

Each patient will follow a different treatment protocol based on their Chinese Medical Diagnosis. Some women conceive naturally after a couple of months of treatments for poor egg quality.  But many go on to have a successful IVF or IUI as the chances of conceiving improve greatly after a treatment protocol.

Yours In Health,

George Mandler CNS LDN LicAc

A recent study showed that uterine lining health may be more important than egg quality in creating a healthy birth weight baby and carrying to term.    (Click here for the Time article about this published research).   This was a large study out of Baylor that reviewed over 300,000 IVF cycles  with specific interest in birth weight and gestation.  What they found was that IVF cycles that stimulated the uterus (which is the majority) had lower birth weight and less chance of carrying to term than ones that were unstimulated such as donor egg, surrogate or frozen transfer.

Read the rest of this entry

See: Clin J Pain. 2011 Mar-Apr;27(3):262-7.
The effect of auricular acupuncture on fentanyl requirement during hip arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial.

Wetzel B, Pavlovic D, Kuse R, Gibb A, Merk H, Lehmann C, Wendt M, Usichenko TI.

Departments of *Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine †Orthopedic Surgery, Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany.
Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Although auricular acupuncture (AA) is suggested to be effective in treatment of pain, it has not yet been used for intraoperative analgesia. Therefore, we studied whether the AA reduces intraoperative analgesic requirement during total hip arthroplasty (THA).
Read the rest of this entry