What conditions Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine can treat by Maired Fahy of Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Clinic, Gorey, Co. Wexford

Infertility and Traditional Chinese Medicine

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By Mairead Fahy R.G.N., Dip Ac and TCM, C Ac Nanjing (China)

Fertility

Infertility in all its guises has long been an emotive and complicated issue for many couples, and with many couples now deciding to postpone starting a family because of lifestyle and / or financial reasons; infertility has become an increasingly prevalent problem of contemporary society.

There are many physiological reasons for infertility, many of which include
Endometriosis, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, and Uterine Fibroids, but Hormonal imbalances, which can include elevated FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) or Prolactin levels can account for a huge proportion of a woman’s inability to conceive, as can Anovulation (failure to ovulate) and irregular menstruation. However, there are many unexplained reasons for infertility also, which may have stress, diet and lifestyle influences as a portion of the causative factor.pregnancy-fertility-acupuncture-gorey-wexford (4)

The male role in this cannot be underestimated either. Good quality and quantity of sperm with adequate motility is essential also for conception to occur.

How can Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine enhance fertility?

Chinese Medicine has been treating infertility for over two and a half thousand years, and its effectiveness cannot be underestimated. Its main function is to bring the body back into balance in every way, harmonising Yin, Yang, Qi and Blood and because of this it can therefore:

    • Normalise hormonal imbalances
    • Regulate menstruation
    • Increase blood flow to the uterus and increase uterine thickness
    • Diminish chances of miscarriage
    • Improve sperm count, motility and morphology
    • Reduce stress and anxiety

Many couples are now also choosing to use acupuncture as an adjunct to IVF fertility treatment. Recent research has been published to demonstrate the role of acupuncture in helping to increase success rates of IVF around the time of embryo transfer. The research, which was published in the British Medical Journal of 7/2/08, states…”acupuncture increased the odds of clinical pregnancy by 65% compared to the control groups”.

How can Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine help with IVF and ICSI?chinese-herbal-medicine-2

    • Improves the function of the ovaries to produce better quality eggs
    • Helps to regulate hormone levels to help produce a larger number of follicles
    • Increases blood flow to the uterus which in turn creates a thicker uterine lining which enhances the likelihood of implantation of the embryo
    • Relaxes the uterus during implantation to minimise painful cramping
    • Decreases the side effects of the drugs used in IVF, e.g., emotional instability, insomnia, palpitations, headaches etc.,

It is always advisable though not essential, for preparation with acupuncture and sometimes Chinese Herbs, to begin 3 months prior to commencement of IVF. In this way, the optimum environment for implantation can be naturally achieved. The treatment method will vary according to the patient’s individual diagnosis and degree of infertility, but it is not unheard of, for the lady to become pregnant naturally in this time!

Mairead Fahy R.G.N., Dip Ac and TCM, C Ac Nanjing (China).
Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Clinic,
The Palms Centre,
The Avenue,
Gorey, Co. Wexford.
Ph: 0539483155 / 0876452409
www.Bodymatters.ie

info@bodymatters.ie

Japanese Cosmetic Acupuncture

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Clinical Research

For research on how Acupuncture may help skin conditions click on the links below:

http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1495-acupuncture-clears-skin-conditions

http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1493-acupuncture-reduces-wrinkles-and-provides-uvb-protection

http://www.medicaldaily.com/benefits-acupuncture-include-effective-treatment-common-skin-conditions-343098

Men’s Health

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Clinical Research

Stress

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine is hugely effective in helping the body cope with stress, and alleviating symptoms, and research is abundant in demonstrating this. http://www.onlinejcf.com/article/S1071-9164(02)00448-7/

http://www.healthline.com/health-news/mental-researchers-find-proof-acupuncture-blocks-stress-031413fulltext?mobileUi=0

 

Impotence

Research has shown that Acupuncture can be highly effective in treating Impotence.

http://www.webmd.com/erectile-dysfunction/news/20000505/impotence-gets-needled-in-acupuncture-study

 

Sperm Quality and Quantity

Research

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16009169

Pain Management

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Clinical Research

Efficacy of Acupuncture on Osteoarthritic Pain — A Controlled, Double-Blind Study
Albert C. Gaw, M.D., Lennig W. Chang, M.D., and Lein-Chun Shaw, M.D.
N Engl J Med 1975; 293:375-378August 21, 1975DOI: 10.1056/NEJM197508212930803
http://bit.ly/1XoICSq

German Acupuncture Trials (Gerac) For Chronic Low Back Pain
Randomized, Multicenter, Blinded, Parallel-Group Trial With 3 Groups FREE
Michael Haake, Phd, Md; Hans-Helge MüLler, Phd; Carmen Schade-Brittinger; Heinz D. Basler, Phd; Helmut SchäFer, Phd; Christoph Maier, Phd, Md; Heinz G. Endres, Md; Hans J. Trampisch, Phd; Albrecht Molsberger, Phd, Md
http://archinte.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=413107

Mayo Clin Proc. 2006 Jun;81(6):749-57.
Improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms with acupuncture: results of a randomized controlled trial.
Martin DP1, Sletten CD, Williams BA, Berger IH. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16770975

Traditional Acupuncture in Migraine: A Controlled, Randomized Study
Enrico Facco, MD; Aldo Liguori, MD; Filomena Petti, MD; Gastone Zanette, MD; Flaminia Coluzzi, MD; Marco De Nardin, MD; Consalvo Mattia, http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/572382

Acupuncture Unlocks Frozen Shoulder Pain – New Research
http://bit.ly/Jz4j1B

Women’s Health

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Clinical Research

http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1447-acupuncture-reduces-stress-for-ivf-fertility-treatment

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/10755530152755207

An Exploratory Pilot Study of Acupuncture on the Quality of Life and Reproductive Hormone Secretion in Menopausal Women

To cite this article:

Hongguang Dong, Frank Lüdicke, Isabelle Comte, Aldo Campana, Patrick Graff, and Paul Bischof. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. December 2001, 7(6): 651-658. doi:10.1089/10755530152755207.

Published in Volume: 7 Issue 6: July 5, 2004 search

Acupuncture helps relieve PMS symptoms including stress and anxiety.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21609380

http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1317-acupuncture-herbs-best-drugs-for-menstrual-pain-and-cramps

Acupuncture For Fertility

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Clinical Research

Recent research shows that Acupuncture can:

  • Increase blood flow to the uterus and ovaries
  • Regulate hormones to produce a large number of follicles
  • Improve the quality and thickness of the uterine lining
  • Improve hormone levels including FSH, Prolactin, Oestrogen and Progesterone
  • Reduce stress
  • Regulate the Menstrual cycle

There are also studies to show that Acupuncture can be highly effective in improving conception for women undergoing IVF (Click here for research). The most commonly quoted research is from the Department of Reproductive Medicine, Christian-Lauritzen-Institut, Ulm, Germany. Commonly known as The German Report, it studied 160 patients undergoing IVF randomized into 2 groups of 80, one group which received acupuncture pre and post embryo transfer, and the control group which received no acupuncture. The results showed that 34 out of the 80 patients (42.5%) who received acupuncture achieved a positive pregnancy test, compared to 21 of the 80 in the control group (26.3%).

The thought here is that Acupuncture received as close to transfer both pre and post, can reduce uterine contractions which might result in expulsion of the embryo, or may prevent a successful implantation.

In general, if a couple is deciding to have Acupuncture to either enhance natural conception, or to assist in IVF or other ART procedures, it is advisable to undergo at least 3 months of treatment. This is based on the knowledge that it takes 3 months for healthy eggs and/or sperm to form, so that in this way the body is at its optimum health for conception to occur. Of course if trying naturally, conception may happen within this time frame, and in this case Acupuncture can be utilised to prevent miscarriage in the first Trimester. Special attention is placed on Diet and Lifestyle advice in this time also, again so that the body is in its healthiest state for pregnancy to occur.

Fertility Research

Acupuncture can increase blood flow to the uterus (Stener-Victorin E, et al Human Reproduction Oxford Journal 1996; Vol. 11, No. 6, pp.1314-1317 http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/content/11/6/1314.abstract )

Acupuncture on the day of embryo transfer significantly improves the reproductive outcome of IVF, compared with no acupuncture (Westergaard L et al, Fertility and Sterility April 2006 Vol 85, pp. 1341-1346 http://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282%2806%2900212-3/abstract ).

Dept of Reproductive Medicine, Christian-Lauritzen-Institut, Ulm, Germany. Fertil Steril 2002:77;721-4. 2002. American Society of Reproductive Medicine.

Luteal-phase acupuncture has a positive effect on the outcome of IVF/ICSI (Dieterle S et al, Fertility and Sterility May 2006 Vol 85, pp. 1347-1351 http://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282%2806%2900213-5/abstract ).

‘Acupuncture Normalizes Dysfunction of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Ovarian Axis’
Bo-Ying Chen M.D. Prof. Of Neurobiology, Shanghai Medical University, Shanghai 200032, P.R.China.
(Received June 3, 1997; ccvepted with revisions June 30, 1997)
Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Res., Int. J., Vol 22, pp. 97-108, 1997. Copyright © 1997 Cognizant Communication Corp.

Acupuncture seems to be a useful tool for improving pregnancy rate after ART. (Paulus W et al, Fertility and Sterility April 2002 Vol 77, pp. 721-724 http://www.fertstert.org/article/S0015-0282%2801%2903273-3/abstract ).

Shonishin. Japanese Acupuncture for children

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shonishin

For most of us the idea of putting needles in children for any reason would be something we would rather not do.
So as Acupuncture is a treatment method which uses needles to treat illness or disharmony in the body, I am often asked if it can be used on children. The answer is yes it can, but for obvious reasons children automatically associate the needles with pain, which upsets them, and in turn upsets us the parents/adults.

But there is a way of treating children as young as a few weeks old, using Oriental Medical techniques. The technique is called “Shonishin”, and it is a Japanese treatment method especially for children. Shonishin uses methods of stroking, tapping and scraping with special non invasive tools along the acupuncture meridians,both back and front, from head to toe instead of using acupuncture needles. It literally means “no needles”.

The theory is that childrens energy or “Qi” is so vibrant and new, that the balancing required when treating adults and thus necessitating acupuncture needles is not required. Because of their “newness”, children respond to treatment much quicker than adults, and quite often only a few sessions is required. Add onto this a childs love of being touched and stroked, and overall it leads to a very enjoyable experience for the child. Absolutely no tears! (It is always advisable that a parent or guardian is present).

So what can Shonishin treat?

It is especially good for:

Asthma, Allergies (including Hayfever), Anxiety, Constipation, Crying, Colic, Cough, Behavioural problems, Sleep disturbance, Sinusitis, Skin problems such as Exzema or Psoriasis, and other signs of stress.

For more information, please give me a call. Mairead Fahy, 0539483155 or 0876452409. info@bodymatters.ie

Dr Tan Balance Method

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Dr Tans Balance Method. London August 2013.

On August the 8th 9th 10th and 11th of this year in London…..I was fortunate enough to be in the presence of greatness!

And I don’t use that phrase lightly, for that is what this man is….Dynamic, Innovative, Inspirational, wise, actually really entertaining, and Oh so clever! The great Dr. Tan, who is the creator of The Balance Method of Acupuncture, and whose influence has certainly revolutionized my own practice since I started using it only a few weeks ago!
Over the course of 4 days, Dr. Tan gave his class of 20 to 30 students, the benefits of his years of practice, experience and discovery in Acupuncture, and he didn’t hold back! The intensity of the information was astounding. For 7 hrs each day, we were on a voyage of discovery that was as exciting as it was mind – boggling, and as revolutionary as it was logical! Because what Dr Tan has actually done is applied an engineering style of logic to an ancient medicine system, and blown away the bogey men!

Ever wondered why P6 opens the chest and calms the mind? We know empirically from the Classical texts that this is what it does, but learning the functions of the points in Acupuncture up to now has been a little like religion… an element of faith is required without full understanding. Well in Dr Tans Balance Method, it all makes sense, because it can be logically thought out! The Balance Method!!

Dr Tans Balance Method is based on the principle of “Li Gan Jian Ying”, which means “When you stand a pole under the sun you immediately see its shadow”. Translate this into Acupuncture terminology and it means that Acupuncture should work IMMEDIATELY to relieve pain! As he says in his book “Acupuncture 1, 2, 3, “I have been watching how Acupuncture is practiced in the Western world for more than two decades. During this time I have realized that many practitioners do not see optimal results from their treatments when I know they should……..the Acupuncturist should have no doubt about the effectiveness of the treatment because the results are instantaneous.”

We observed this principle in action for ourselves every day, because each day around 4pm, Dr Tan would treat up to 5 people at one time, some of whom were members of the class, and others who were invited by members of the class. If it was a painful condition we were able to observe for ourselves “Li Gan Jiang Yang” in action, as within a maximum timeframe of 5 minutes, the pain was gone!

Of course Acupuncture is about more than treating physical pain. It is also as we all know about helping the body to heal a disharmony of any kind, which includes systemic disorders like Menopause, Stress, Hormonal issues, Irritable Bowel Syndrome and even Infertility from any cause. In Dr Tans way of thinking the same methods are applied but he has formulated a system of treatment which includes terms like “Global Balance”, “Matrix Analysis”, “Meridian Conversion Therapy”, “Smart point combos!”, and has devised a whole new way of thinking about Acupuncture. I have since used his “4 Magical Meridians”, his 8 Magical points plus 1”, his 12 Magical Points”, which are all new terms applied to providing Balance to the body.. One lady I had been treating for really chronic Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Stress in the conventional way (or the Zang Fu way), came in to me 4 days after Id tried Dr Tans 4 Magical Meridians on her, and said she d had the best 4 days of her life since seeing me! Now THAT’S “Li Gan Jiang Yang”! She still has a way to go, and as life gets in her way Im sure it wont all be so positive, but a reaction like that has certainly reinforced for me, how Powerful Dr Tans methods are!

As I continue to use his methods and “think” differently about my Acupuncture practice, I can see the benefits before my eyes…and my mind does cartwheels!! Imagine what the client feels!

Dr Tan travels the world educating Acupuncturists in his methods, and I think next year there are plans to try and bring his teaching methods to Ireland. We need him too! Watch this space!

Article on Mairead Fahy’s work in Monart

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Article from Irish Daily Mail
1 Aug 2012
WHO says taking care of yourself has to be all pain and no pleasure? In this weekly feature, we trial the very best therapies that promise to deliver sterling results without the hint of a needle or a knife… FROM the outside, the Monart looks like a……read more…

 

Image of full article here:

Monart Spa Article on Acupunture Treatments available from Mairead FAhy

Acupuncture is effective in helping with cancer treatment

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The dreaded “C” word!  Just the mention of “Cancer” is enough to strike fear into the heart of the strongest person. It is all pervasive and strikes almost every family at some time in their lives. The fine balance between life and death is never so apparent as when the illness which is “Cancer” rears its ugly head. Its a battle of will and courage, and sadly a lot of people never win the war.

 

There have been many advances in the early detection and treatment of cancer and while the standard medical care for cancer is effective, the treatments are aggressive and cause numerous unwanted side effects as well as a lowered immune system. Acupuncture has received much attention as an adjunctive therapy in cancer treatments for its use in pain relief, reducing side effects, accelerating recovery and improving quality of life.

What Acupuncture is used for during Cancer Treatment

Acupuncture provides a total approach to health care for people with cancer. It can be used to address many of the concerns that come up during and after chemotherapy, radiation, biological therapy and surgery.

According to the National Cancer Institute, acupuncture may cause physical responses in nerve cells, the pituitary gland, and parts of the brain. These responses can cause the body to release proteins, hormones, and brain chemicals that control a number of body functions. It is proposed that, by these actions, acupuncture affects blood pressure and body temperature, boosts immune system activity, and causes the body’s natural painkillers, such as endorphins, to be released.

 

The diseases or disorders for which acupuncture therapy has been tested in controlled clinical trials reported in  recent literature can be classified into four categories as shown below.

1. Diseases, symptoms or conditions for which acupuncture has been proved—through controlled trials—to be an effective treatment:

  1. Adverse reactions to radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy

 

  1. Leukopenia

 

  1. Nausea and vomiting

 

Specifically the results of four of the major trials show the following statistics using Acupuncture in slightly different ways compared to a control group that received no acupuncture. The test group is the group that received acupuncture.

 

Acupuncture during radiotherapy

Acupuncture greatly lessened digestive and nervous system reactions (anorexia, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and fatigue) due to radiotherapy and showed protection against damage to haematopoiesis.

 

Manual plus electric acupuncture

Gastrointestinal reactions were cured in significantly more of the acupuncture group:

• 93.2% of test group after 5.8 ± 2.7 days of treatment

• 65.2% of control group after 9.4 ± 3.4 days of treatment.

 

Magnetic plus electric acupoint stimulation

Acupoint stimulation therapy was comparable with intravenous metoclopramide for gastrointestinal reactions, and with dexamethasone and cysteine phenylacetate (leucogen) for leukopenia. The treatment was effective in:

• 87.5% of the test group

• 75.0% of the control group.

 

Body acupuncture (manual)

The treatment was effective in:

• 85.6% of the test group

• 61.1% of the control group.

 

 

  Other areas that acupuncture has shown the most promise include:

 

  • Dry Mouth, Night Sweats and Hot Flushes
  • Stress, Anxiety and Fatigue
  • Pain Management
  • Increasing White Blood Cell Count

Other symptoms caused by cancer treatment

Clinical trials are studying the effects of acupuncture on cancer and symptoms caused by cancer treatment, including weight loss, cough, chest pain, fever, anxiety, depression, night sweats, hot flushes, dry mouth, speech problems, and fluid in the arms or legs. Studies have shown that, for many patients, treatment with acupuncture either relieves symptoms or keeps them from getting worse.

Boosting the Immune System

Human studies on the effect of acupuncture on the immune system of cancer patients showed that it improved immune system response, including increasing the number of white blood cells.

Pain Management

In clinical studies, acupuncture reduced the amount of pain in some cancer patients. In one study, most of the patients treated with acupuncture were able to stop taking drugs for pain relief or to take smaller doses.

Acupuncture is also very useful for support if you are undergoing chemotherapy, radiation, or hormonal therapy. Because chemotherapy and radiation therapy weaken the body’s immune system, a strict asepsis (sterile needle method) is rigidly adhered to when acupuncture treatment is given to cancer patients.

 

There is more evidence published within this report, however, since this report we have grown in our application, understanding and evidence that acupuncture does work. There are many differing theories, but the most interesting is quite simply to ensure that the body is stronger than the cancer, the tumour, the sarcoma. We already live with these cells in our bodies. It’s when they become too strong that the body becomes weakened.  That is why acupuncture works alongside western treatments. This raises another question. Does acupuncture and Chinese medicine work alone? There is evidence to support that, but that is for another day.