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Infertility: is acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine effective for infertility?Infertility can be treated very successfully with acupuncture and Chinese herbs. They key to that success is in two parts. First, it is important to correctly use the range of diagnosis available in Chinese gynaecology, a diagnosis individually chosen that best represent the individual as a whole person. Second, other gynaecological and health conditions that can affect fertility must be incorporated into the treatment of infertility. Click here for more about the treatment of infertility with Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine Importantly also, acupuncture and Chinese herbs give multiple, long term, and lasting benefits to the couple, even if fertility is not promoted or pregnancy does not occur immediately, if at all. The improvement in overall health is important when underlying gynaecological conditions such as endometriosis and others can severely impact on the couple's life. Doctors of Chinese medicine have been able to understand the anatomical, physiological and pathological features of the female body through the rich body of knowledge that is found in Traditional Chinese Gynaecology, a branch of traditional Chinese medicine. Today, the experience of these doctors is further enhanced by their studies of western anatomy, physiology and gynaecology. For an explanation of the causes of infertility and how western medicine views this condition, please click here. This fusion of Western and Chinese medicine is not new nor is it recent. In China, the integration of Western and Chinese Medicine was advocated by Dr Tang Zhong Hai who wrote “Discussion on Blood Syndromes” in the year 1885. Dr Zhong Xi Chun followed with “Records of treatment using a combination of Chinese and Western Medicine” in the year 1918. Prior to that, and for thousands of years, traditional Chinese gynaecology has played a significant role in the health care of women in China and Asia and has contributed enormously to the health and development of families in these regions and abroad. In order to appreciate how much acupuncture and Chinese medicine can be beneficial in the treatment of infertility and other women’s disorders, take a look at the passage below. It is the earliest record that can be found regarding knowledge of women’s health. It is from the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, a book on Chinese medical theories that was written in 247 BC. This book is still extensively used today. “The Kidney Chi of a female is vigorous at the age of 7, her teeth are renewed and her hair grows longer. Menarche initiates at 14 as the Ren Meridian is put through, and the Tai Chong Meridian is replenished. Menstruation attends regularly, so it is possible for the female to reproduce......at the age of 49, the Ren Meridian becomes void, the Tai Chong Meridian is attenuated, leading to menopause and amenorrhoea. Since the genitals have withered, the female cannot reproduce any more." Again, that knowledge has been with us in TCM for 2,255 years. It has also been well known in Chinese medicine that women who live in different regions, who experience different climates, or simply have different levels of nourishment can experience a change of menarche, which can range from 11 to 18 years of age. This of course can affect fertility. It was also common knowledge that with the exception of pregnancy and lactation, menstruation will not cease until the age of 49. Since the publication of this important medical text in 247 BC, other valuable texts from the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644) to the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911) have laid the foundation for the solid development of Chinese gynaecology to the present day. In the year 1548 Dr Xue Ji published the text “Summary of Gynaecology and Obstetrics”. The Qing dynasty saw the famous text by Dr. Fu Qing Zhu (1607-1684) titled “Fu Qing Zhu’s Gynaecology” where he states: Kidney is the most important organ; menstrual Blood is derived from Kidney Essence. In the year 1715 Dr Da Sheng Bian wrote “Treatise on Obstetrics”. Since 1949 in China, acupuncture and moxibustion have been successful in treating malposition of the foetus while ectopic pregnancy has been successfully treated with herbs and acupuncture rather than surgery. Currently in the West, traditional Chinese medical doctors use all the accumulated knowledge available to them but they do not perform the physical examinations that are normally conducted by doctors of Western medicine. Below are some of the diagnoses that could form part of your infertility treatment: • Kidney Essence Deficiency,encompassing Kidney Yin-Essence deficiency and/or Kidney Yang-Essence deficiency • Heart Qi stagnation • Mixed Syndromes (combinations and complications) --- P.S: If you find this website useful, feel free to recommend it to a friend. And if you'd like to look for more information on male or female infertility that is perhaps not included in this site,
please click here.
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