accupuncture, herbs, charting and all things Chinese medicine

[CareBear1]

Hi, am 2 months into following every Chinese medicine recommendation going for my bizarre periods, including accupuncture, herbs, diet, footbaths, burning moxa sticks, massaging accupoints .... You name it, and just wondering if anyone is in the same boat and how you're getting on? I think I'm seeing improvements but bit early to tell.

[AngelFairy]

Hi,
I am curious to know whether you are doing this off your own back or whether you are being supported and guided by a professional TCM practitioner?
You see, there are some acupoints that would be contraindicated with each person and each type of treatment and so I hope you have the right guidance you need to help you ttc x x

However, I also have regular acupuncture treatments and find they work amazingly well. Good luck x

[CareBear1]

Hi AngelFairy, thanks for the message, yes I am being guided by an accupuncturist and am also following guidance from a particular book that she recommended. Its still a bit of a whole new world to me but I am fascinated by the improvements I've seen so far and really hoping they aren't a figment of my imagination! I've stopped other western treatments whilst I give this a go just because its what I want to do for the time being.

Have you seen changes from your accupuncture? Good luck to you too. x

[AngelFairy]

Hi CareBear, yes, I have found acupuncture really beneficial.
My cycle has regulated, my flow is consistent and my PMT has disappeared!
I'm so impressed. My dh is also having treatment, which is working too.
Can't praise it enough... Just wish conventional medicine would recognise it too!

[PieMistress]

I also found acupuncture beneficial in bringing forward a very late ovulation following a miscarriage. I think the relaxation factor was also a big help too!

[CareBear1]

My ovulation has been brought forward too. I used to see a rise on day 16-18 and its been 12-14 for the last 3 months now. I've spent the last 4 yrs having untold number of tests by doctors for what might be causing me to bleed every month from ovulation onwards. The approach of our Dr system to hunt for what awful disorder this might be has left me so bruised I have barely been able to hold eye contact during a conversation. The idea with tcm I seem to find is more about imbalances that need tweaking which seems so much more positive. This month I only bled for 3 days before my period which was a big improvement! Are you doing herbs, diet changes etc too? I am just getting the hang of qi gong breathing! Do you have any good recommendations of books or anything you've found to be working?

[eurochick]

I've seen results too - my period is shorter and less clotty, my ov has been brought forward by a day or two and my whole cycle is generally more regular.

I'm using acu alongside agnus castus and various vitamin supplements.

[CareBear1]

Why is it then that uk doctors seem to know nothing about this side of things? i'm baffled if so many people see improvements with this sort of treatment that the uk system doesn't take more notice. Accupuncture on the NHS i say, or at least for doctors who practise in fertility to have studied the eastern view of reproduction.

[SweetieDoesIt]

Ladies can I ask a question about the frequency you go for the acupuncture? I have started going about my panic attacks but the practitioner is also looking at regulating my cycles. I am currently going for sessions once a week but am finding it very costly. How often do you go? And can you cut down on the frequency once thing start to settle down?

[eurochick]

I went for once a week for the first month and then twice per month thereafter (and she has varied between focusing on the first part of the cycle, the last part of the cycle and a bit of each!).

[CareBear1]

I've been going weekly to a multi bed clinic so its cheaper. Worth googling to see if there's one near you. The other thing you could do is get familiar with which points your accupuncturist is using for your condition and you can massage them yourself as accupressure in between sessions, or use a moxa stick ask yr accupunctirist what they would recommend for you.

[EmmaFarrant]

Clinical experience has shown that Chinese medicine is very effective at treating infertility in women. New research found that women receiving Chinese herbal medicine are twice as likely to get pregnant than those receiving Western medical fertility treatment.

If you?re interested in Chinese medicine fertility treatment you should only seek treatment from a practitioner who is a member of a reputable professional body. The RCHM was set up in 1987 to self-regulate the practice of Chinese herbal medicine among its members. For information about us go to www.rchm.co.uk.

[LIG1979]

I agree accupuncture seems to be working for my PCOS. Been going twice a month since September and my last cycle was 32 days which was down from a maximum of 80 days back in January. I have also been doing a low GI diet since May and taking Maca since September. My skin/sleeping has also improved since starting the acupuncture which is an added bonus and hopefully means that my ovaries are also improving underneath. Now just got to get myself pregnant again!!!

[CareBear1]

LIG my skin has improved too. What's Maca and where do you get it from? I'm currently taking black cohosh, royal jelly, selinium and chromium (done wonders for reducing my sugar cravings), astragalus, pycnogenol (making DH take this too), and a fair few others too. My bbt chart which was going up and down constantly throughout the month has smoothed out hugely. I'm really hoping this means that my whole system is becoming healthier, I had less blood clots this month. I've always been fairly sceptical in the past about this side of things and had utter faith in our nhs but this has been turned on its head for me in the past 6 months. Has anyone read any really good explanatory texts about how and why chinese medicine is supposed to work that isn't too hard to follow? I've been reading Randine Lewis' 'the infertility cure' which has some of the basics in - its focused on diagnosis and treatments mainly. Has anyone got any recommendations to make?

[MGMidget]

I'm seeing a well known Chinese fertility specialist for acupuncture and herbs. I think they can have a dramatic effect on your cycle but not necessarily good. I have seen my cycles yoyo from extremely short to excessively long when the doctor changed my herb recipes. This month I got a bad cold so haven't taken the herbs for the first two weeks of my cycle as advised not to. For the first time in ages my cycle seems normal with ovulation occurring when I would expect it to and my temperatures as they should be. I'm considering quitting as my body seems better without them. I have also tracked some cycles with ultrasound and saw odd developments in my ovaries which I didn't used to see pre-herbs.

[LIG1979]

Carebear - maca is a peruvian herb my accupuncturist reccomended - it is best to use in powder form and improves virility. It is basically lots of minerals and vitamins but it is meant to be good for fertility and sperm count so I have also been making DH take it but he will only take the capsules. Unfortunately, I have tried so many things it is difficult to know which has improved things and which are a waste of time! I am also hoping that the clearer skin and short cycles are indicating my body is working better but without a scan to look at the follicles who knows!

Mgmidget - that is worrying about the herbs but shows that chinese medicine can have an impact and that it should be investigate further.

I am sort of amazed what can be done without western medicine and I am hoping that I can get pg again without needing proper drugs/treatment. The frustrating thing is that I got pg on a very long 80+ day cycle with no opk sticks or understanding of fertility or even knowing I had PCOS and again on a 56 day cycle when I had a chemical pregnancy. Now I have had a 35 and 32 day cycle, SWI'd on the right days, good temperature rises and not a sniff of a bfp!

[CareBear1]

Thanks LIG, I will look out for it. All your signs are sounding positive, hope you get your bfp soon. Typical that it happened for you before on such a long cycle - maybe its the exception that proves the rule? Have just discovered the FF tool for charting on one of the other threads. I love the technology of this. I keep looking at my charts and convincing myself they are improving. !

www.fertilityfriend.com/home/Carebear1

MGM I'm wondering if the herb recipes just need tweaking for your symptoms? or I have heard some conditions respond better to acupuncture and diet than herbs. I think if the digestive system is already a bit on the weak side then herbs might not be the best idea, but i'm no expert on this.