Women's Health
Traditional Chinese Medicine can be especially effective treating many gynecological symptoms which we have been raised to think of as "normal" - but only because so many women have them... they have become the "norm". However, according to Chinese Medicine, periods do not have to be painful, we do not need to "settle" for heavy periods, we do not necessarily have to have PMS and our cycles can be regular. Many women over the years have sought treatment, either by themselves or were referred to us by their OB/GYN doctors for pain, endometriosis, amenorrhea, uterine bleeding, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, premenstrual syndrome, mood swings, hormonal migraines and irregular periods. We experience excellent results with these women.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbs work together to help women with these imbalances. It takes approximately three cycles to treat a woman's gynecological system.
Infertility
At Acupuncture Atlanta we treat couples facing fertility challenges using a unique combination of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Acupuncture, Chinese herbs and state-of-the-art saliva and urine tests to reveal functional imbalances in nutritional and hormonal levels.
Acupuncture and Chinese herbs have treated fertility for thousands of years. The earliest records detailing the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine for increasing fertility are found in Chinese medical literature from 11 AD. These techniques regulate the menstrual cycle, invigorate the sperm and enhance the whole body's function.
As such, premenstrual syndrome, amenorrhea, endometriosis, blocked fallopian tubes, immune system incongruities and infertility-related hormonal imbalances in women improve with our approach. In men, Chinese herbal formulas which "tonify the essence" are especially useful in increasing sperm count and motility.
The highly technical and expensive methods used in Western Medicine are well-supported by Traditional Chinese Medicine; these two forms of medicine are especially complementary.
Our Approach
Traditional Chinese medicine represents an intermediate step for couples prior to beginning Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) procedures; it is less invasive than ART: physically, emotionally and fiscally. For couples who have been unsuccessful with ART, our approach can normalize the female hormone balance and can nourish and strengthen the body.  Many hormonal problems are due to slight imbalances in the delicate endocrine system, which may alter a pathway by which the body produces hormones. A slight aberration can throw the entire system off so it no longer functions smoothly. For instance chronic sinus infections affect the body's immune system, which affects the reproductive steroids. The body makes decisions based on survival or reproduction, thus prioritizing survival over reproduction. Our approach is designed to normalize the body's chronic survival response (chronic stress, chronic infections, any slight imbalance that has become chronic) and as we do this, we are also gently balancing the hormonal profile. We accomplish this with sophisticated saliva hormonal profiles, Acupuncture, herbs, and supplements working to assist you back into balance. Research has shown that acupuncture influences these hormonal pathways, and assists our own internal energies to restore endocrine harmony. Certain meridians influence the internal organs, some control the reproductive organs, others effect the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, which is responsible for ovulation and sperm production. They all need to be balanced for optimum function. Our approach can improve the results of ART procedures or it can be used independent of western medical interventions.
Your Basal Body Temperature: An Aid In Conceiving
Your monthly menstrual cycle is influenced by two key hormones. The first half of your cycle (called the follicular phase) is primarily influenced by estrogen. Estrogen helps your ovaries produce an egg that is released during ovulation. During the second half of your cycle (the luteal phase), progesterone takes over. The progesterone will dominate until it falls in anticipation of your menstrual period.
From a TOM perspective, estrogen is Yin; it is a "cool" hormone. Progesterone is Yang and is "warm". Prior to ovulation, when estrogen is dominant, your body temperature is marginally cooler than after ovulation, when progesterone is in charge. Given these facts, an increase in your basal body temperature (BBT) indicates that you have ovulated.
BBT charting is a unique way to help you and your doctor understand your fertility pattern and pinpoint your most fertile days in order to greatly improve your chances of conception. It allows you to have a direct insight into what is going on in your body without using any potentially invasive or costly procedures. In addition to rapid pregnancy achievement, charting can alert you to some potential problems or complications, including:
- Anovulation: If your chart never shows a sustained bi-phasic pattern, characterized by the lack of a temperature rise, it is likely that you are not ovulating. Charting can alert you to this fact, allowing you to seek medical intervention.
- A luteal phase defect: Ideally, the luteal phase is 14 days. A luteal phase shorter than 10 days can impair fertility, as it makes it difficult for the fertilized embryo to implant in the uterus. You can easily spot a short luteal phase on a BBT chart; it is seen by the absence of at least 10 high temperatures.
- A thyroid condition: Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism can impair fertility. An under-active thyroid can sometimes be seen in very low temperatures, while a hyper-active thyroid is manifested in unusually high temperatures.
- Male factor infertility: If you are consistently having sex on your fertile days but fail to become pregnant, it may be due to a problem with your partner's sperm. Once again, charting can alert you to this fact and allow you to seek intervention.
The best and most consistent results are obtained with the use a digital basal thermometer, but any thermometer will do. The thermometer should be able to measure to the 0.10 degree, since the temperature changes in charting can be quite small. There are digital basal thermometers priced under $15.00 that beep when it is ready to go, light up, and store temperatures so that they don't have to be recorded right away. We will supply you with a graph to chart your temperatures at your initial evaluation, however, it is advised that in the interim, you use the chart that comes with most digital basal thermometers. It can be enlarged and duplicated on any copy machine. We recommend that you do your charting on-line. Fertility Now provides this service free. You can post your daily temperatures online. The software also gives hints about your cycle. Already having a BBT chart at your first office visit will assist Acupuncture Atlanta in assessing the likely reason for your difficulty in conceiving by enabling us to observe the fluctuating temperature patterns that occur throughout your cycle, and assist us in more quickly developing a diagnostic workup and treatment plan.
Basal temperature is your temperature when you first awaken in the morning. To be accurate, the temperature must be taken at the same time every day. That means you take your temperature before you do any thing else. The alarm goes off and you stick the thermometer in you mouth. It's that simple. Fortunately, you don't have to fully awaken; just let the thermometer do its thing and then you can go back to sleep if you like. It is best to begin charting on the first day of your cycle; this is the first day that you see true red menstrual flow. Typically, pre-ovulatory temperatures range from 97.0 - 97.6 degrees, although there is a wide range of "normal" temperatures. One day, you will notice that your temperature is higher than it has been on previous days. The general rule is that you have ovulated when your temperature rises 0.2 degrees higher than any temperature from the previous 6 days, and it stays elevated for at least 3 consecutive days. In general, post-ovulatory temperatures range from 97.7 upward.
Unfortunately, using a BBT chart will only tell you when you have ovulated. It doesn't predict ovulation. Occasionally, you may experience a temperature dip on the day of ovulation. This is caused by an estrogen surge right at ovulation. Unfortunately, this does not always occur. In order to predict ovulation, it is necessary to track your cervical mucous.
When your period is over, you may notice that your cervical mucous is sticky or chalky. As you get closer to ovulation the fluid will get thinner. Eventually, the mucous turns to the consistency of egg whites. This is egg white cervical mucous, and it is highly fertile. Once your temperature increases after ovulation, you will notice that your cervical fluid gets thicker or dries up all together.
Some women are able to check for cervical mucous externally. Some women don't have enough fluid to feel externally and need to do an internal check. This is most easily accomplished while sitting on the toilet. Just make sure you have clean hands, and use your index or middle finger to reach up towards your cervix. It's the best way to gauge your fertility at any given time of the month.
Another highly effective way to predict ovulation is to examine your saliva under a microscope for "ferning". Fertile Focus is an accurate, easy-to-use ovulation microscope that allows you to predict fertility by viewing changes in your saliva patterns as you approach your most fertile time of the month. It's re-usable and the size of a lipstick case, so it's portable and allows you to test anytime and anywhere! When a woman is about to ovulate, her saliva forms distinct crystal, "ferning" patterns due to a surge in estrogen and a resultant increase of salt/salinity in saliva. Through a high-quality, 50X glass lens, Fertile Focus allows you to monitor the rise and fall of your estrogen as you approach ovulation, peak fertility. And with Fertile Focus, you are able to watch the gradual development of ferning patterns - providing an early-detection of ovulation you won't get with LH urine tests. Nonetheless, it is recommended that you also urine a LH urine Ovulation Test. Luteinizing hormone in elevated quantities causes ovulation. During the menstrual cycle only a small amount of LH is made, but in the middle of the cycle LH briefly increases. This increase is called the "LH surge" and precedes ovulation. Conception is most likely to occur within two to three days following the LH surge. The Midstream Urine LH Ovulation Test is specifically designed to detect your LH surge - the time when you are likely to ovulate, the period of peak fertility. It is best done once per day, at about the same time between 10:00 A.M. and 8:00 P.M. beginning several days before the middle of your menstrual cycle. By using one or more of the above methods (i.e. analysis of cervical mucous, examining your saliva for ferning, or testing your urine for your LH surge), in combination with using a BBT chart, is a great way to pinpoint your fertile times. The general rule to remember is: Unless instructed by your physician to do otherwise, you should have intercourse every day that you see fertile cervical mucous, saliva ferning, or a positive urine LH surge, and continue until you see a temperature rise. This increases your chances of conceiving.
If you and your partner have normal fertility, you should achieve success within 4 to 6 cycles of charting your BBT. This occurs because charting and tracking your cervical mucous allow you to have sex during your fertile times. The egg only lives for approximately 24 hours, so timing is everything.
Moreover, it is a myth to assume that every woman ovulates on day 14 of her cycle. In fact, a woman's normal pattern can mean ovulation on day 10 or day 21. Using the chart enable you to pinpoint your unique ovulatory schedule.
Diagnostic Procedures
In addition to Traditional Chinese diagnostic methods, we may use the following diagnostic procedures to develop a client specific profile:
The Biological Terrain Analysis (BTA) is a simple urine and salvia test. It may clarify underlying weaknesses and dietary needs which may contribute to chronic illness and infertility. The Female Hormone Panel (FHP) is a simple non-invasive test. Eleven saliva samples are collected during specific times throughout the menstrual cycle. The FHP, for the first time in routine medical practice, allows both patient and doctor to view Estrogen and Progesterone levels simultaneously. Diagnostic guesswork is minimized. Hormone balance evaluation and customized treatment become a reality. This has a number of applications:
- Detection of luteal phase defects. There are at least three luteal phase defect patterns which are characterized by a reduced output of Progesterone, leading to estrogen dominance. This is usually associated with PMS, infertility, fibroids, etc.
- Many women suffer from hormonal imbalance in the Estrogen to Progesterone ratio. With great accuracy, this can be evaluated for specific intervention or treatment, customized to each individual physiology's specific needs.
- The following conditions can be detected and monitored:
- Double ovulation/Early ovulation
- Functional infertility
- Influence of life-style (diet, excercise, etc.) on the cycle
- Hypothalmic-pituitary-ovarian problems (i.e. problems with how the brain controls ovarian function)
- Early pregnancy problems/spontaneous abortion cycle
- Endometriosis
In the Male Hormone Panel (MHP) samples of saliva are taken and six hormone levels are measured: DHEA, Androstenedione, Testosterone, Dihydrotestosterone, Estrone and Progesterone. This is particularly useful for the following: Low semen count or low motility, "middle-aged" and having: Low libido, Erectile dysfunction, Baldness and/or thinning hair, fat accumulation around the waist, urinary symptoms including pain, frequency, urgency, and/or interrupted stream, Change in sleeping habits, Lack of enthusiasm for life, Increase in bad cholesterol; decrease in good cholesterol. Signs of osteoporosis.
This is also useful if you are "younger" and are having: low libido, erectile dysfunction, baldness, Inability to lose weight
The Salivary Thyroid Panel (STP) discerns thyroid imbalance. Thyroid imbalances are very common and generally overlooked in female/male hormonal studies. Most patients that have "functional" thyroid imbalances do not have "primary" thyroid imbalances. Thyroid hormone metabolism can be very sensitive, and can easily be altered by luteal phase function, progesterone, autoimmunity, etc, as well as the release of other hormones in the body, including cortisol and estrogen. Again, a simple noninvasive saliva sample is used for this test. The Adrenal Salivary Index (ASI) measures the fluctuations of salivary cortisol during a circadian cycle. This assessment allows the evaluation of hypothalamic-adrenal function and rhythm under normal conditions. The circadian abnormalities observed help diagnose subtle and often undetected problems, as in glycemic dysregulation or pituitary lesions. Abnormal patterns can diagnose the following:
- Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
- Stress Induced Disease
- Chronic Depression
- Osteoporosis
- Hypoglycemia
- Insomnia
- Reduced Immunity/Chronic Infection
- Hypo & Hyper Adrenal Function
Time Involved for Treatment
For both men and women the treatment duration is six to nine months.
Treatment timing and consistency, as well as taking Chinese herbs recommended will have a direct affect on observable changes. For men to raise sperm count and motility, consistent treatment and Chinese herbs are necessary: it takes a minimum of 70 days to generate new sperm.
For women this is important as well: specific hormonal adjustments can be made at each week of the cycle using acupuncture and herbs. Missing a week of treatment may lose an important opportunity to heal a particular segment of the four-phase menstrual cycle. A minimum of three consecutive cycles (twelve treatments) can begin to regulate a woman's system regardless of biological age.
The couple must expect to focus six to nine months before really expecting to evaluate results. There is no quick path when it comes to conception, full-term pregnancy and recovery after delivery: but well worth the wait.
Cost of Treatment
A couple should budget $3400 for a course of treatment. In the first two months of the treatment, if needed, evaluation tests will be performed, representing a larger portion of the budget.
Acupuncture treatments are once a week for three months. For the remaining 3-6 months, treatment is reduced to once every two weeks. Should both partners have reproductive imbalances, the total cost will increase.
| Initial Evaluation |
$150.00 |
| Female Hormone Panel |
$326.00 |
| Male Hormone Panel |
$185.00 |
| Bio-Terrain Analysis |
$100.00 |
| Adrenal Salivary Index |
$190.00 |
| Salivary Thyroid Panel |
$180.00 |
| Acupuncture Treatment |
$100.00 per session |
Herbs and supplements are approximately $100 to $150 per month.
Telephone Consultation Is Now Available!
Acupuncture Atlanta receives calls from women and men across the county requesting information on our approach. They come from every walk of life, in almost every state of the country. Their diversity is wonderful and uplifting, but one thing stays the same - the sadness, anger and frustration they feel. They come to Acupuncture Atlanta after having spent $15,000 to 20,000 and yet another doctor advised them to consider donor egg or adoption.
If you do not live in Atlanta it doesn't prohibit us from working together anymore. We do not care if you live in Los Angeles or London. You now have effective options accessible to you no matter where you live. A comprehensive Telephone Consultation and personalized 3 month herbal plan designed specifically to increase and enhance your chances of conceiving is now available for you.
Details on the program are as follows:
The initial cost: $590 total.
Diagnostic Evaluation: $150.00
Series of 4 half hour phone sessions: $240.00
Three months of Herbs: $200.00
Renewal: $450 for 4 additional calls plus 3 months of herbs.
Diagnostic Evaluation is 1-1/2 hours: It starts with an extensive health assessment to learn and understand your health history, family history, lifestyle habits, symptoms, gynecological history, and previous diagnoses. At the diagnostic evaluation, you will supply us (by email) with your basal body temperature. At the end of the evaluation, we will prescribe a herbal formula which is included in the telephone consultation.
Series of 4 half hour sessions: We will meet by phone twice a month and you will have updated us by email with your basal body temperature. During this time we will discuss changes in symptoms, menstrual cycles and we may modify the herbal formula.
The four phone calls can be scheduled at various intervals, but the series of calls must be completed within four months after the initial consult. Calls not completed within four months will be forfeited and additional consults will require renewal.
Additional Cost: During the initial interview we may feel that additional saliva hormonal panels may be helpful to clarify your issue. For instance if you have chronic sinus congestion, we may suggest a food sensitivity panel to determine if you have an immune response to dairy or wheat. Chronic inflammation will affect your ability to conceive.
See more research on the efficacy of acupuncture and herbal treatments:
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