Infertility - Female and Male Factor
A meta-analysis of many high quality studies of acupuncture and IVF found that acupuncture improved the rates of pregnancy and live-birth. Read more…In a much touted German study, female patients undergoing assisted reproduction therapy (ART) were given acupuncture before and after embryo transfer. In the acupuncture group 42.5% of the patients achieved pregnancy as compared with 26.3% in the control group. Read more...A recent study of acupuncture treatment published in Fertility and Sterility for male infertility concluded that “the treatment of idiopathic male infertility could benefit from employing acupuncture.” Read more...
Chronic Pain
A large study (18,000 patients with either back and neck pain, osteoarthritis, chronic headache, and shoulder pain) found that "acupuncture was effective for the treatment of chronic pain." Read more...
Headaches
Acupuncture helps chronic headache sufferers, as found in a study published in the British Medical Journal. Patients who received acupuncture had less frequent and less severe headaches, and took less medication as compared with those who did not. Read more...Another study by researchers in Germany found that “acupuncture plus routine care in patients with headaches was associated with marked clinical improvements compared with routine care alone.” Read more…
Allergies
Acupuncture for allergic rhinitis leads to “clinically relevant and persistent benefits.” Read more…
Arthritis
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine found that acupuncture significantly reduced the pain and increased function for people with arthritis of the knee. Read more...
Neck pain
Treatment of chronic neck pain with acupuncture was associated with reduced pain levels. Read more…
Recommended Reading
The Infertility Cure by Randine Lewis offers a clear and detailed presentation of how acupuncture and Chinese herbs promote fertility. It also includes dietary and lifestyle guidelines.Making Babies by Sami David and Jill Blakeway is a very accessible read, and great blend of Eastern and Western medicine to optimize fertility.
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler is an invaluable tool for discerning your own body’s fertility signs. It explains how to chart your basal body temperature, examine changes in cervical mucus, and the timing of intercourse for pregnancy achievement or birth control.
Links
Fertility Friend
A free online resource for charting your basal-body temperature. There is also a free app, which I recommend over other BBT apps available.http://www.fertilityfriend.com/
Natural Resources
A pregnancy, childbirth and early parenting resource center located in San Francisco. It offers classes, a retail store, and referrals to providers.http://www.naturalresources-sf.com/
Doula and Midwife
Maria Iorillo is an experienced and inspiring midwife who specializes in homebirth.
Yoga
Jane Austin offers wonderful pre-natal yoga classesYogaglo offers high-quality on-line classes that you can stream anytime. They have pre-natal, post-natal and fertility yoga.