Preventing Miscarriage With Acupuncture & Herbs

I have a lot of women who come in because they have had multiple miscarriages. Some of them have gotten pregnant naturally and some have gone through IVF. Going through a miscarriage is not only difficult mentally, but it is hard on the woman’s body.

Acupuncture and Herbs can be a way of preventing miscarriages. There are some good herbal formulas that are very effective, and along with acupuncture it can be even more effective. There are several reason for miscarriages in Oriental Medicine. It can be a yang deficiency, spleen deficiency to name a couple.

When women come in, we watch their basal body temperature charts and we can see if they have a deficiency before having to go through the emotional stress of a miscarriage. There is so much a couple can do without having to go through expensive treatments. The problem is most women do not know about alternative treatments.

I am happy to look at your bbt charts if you would like my opinion. Remember, it is only a opinion based on what I study. Email your chart to: katiemc@ancientartsaustin.com

Thanksgiving Without Baby?

I know how sad it must feel to go another Thanksgiving, and still not pregnant. So many women tell me how last year they really thought they would have a child, and now here it is the holiday time again and still no baby.

We must remember that we do have a plan in life. We are not in charge of that plan, but here to learn what life has to teach us. Maybe it is just not the right time for a child in your life. Maybe, there are bigger and better plans in store for you that you just not understand at this time.

Keep a positive outlook. Understand that things happen for a reason. I know it is just so difficult because you grow up all your life with the dream of being married and having little rug rats running around your home. But, if it is meant to happen for you it will. Life is short, make the best of the blessing you do have. There are so many blessing each and everyday of our life, stop to enjoy your life for what it is. It doesn’t mean the dream has to go away, or won’t happen, but sometimes if you can just take one day at a time, enjoy each moment, your body can relax and get back to it’s normal state.

Happy Thanksgiving to all who read this. Know that I am thinking of you, and will pray that your dreams will come true.

Acupuncture for Infertility

Most women who come into our office for infertility have blood stagnation. While it is not always the only reason, it usually plays a part. In Chinese Medicine if one has blood stagnation they will also have qi stagnation. The reason is the blood needs qi to move. The qi moves the blood. So if the blood is not moving the qi is not moving. So, as you can see most women who come in have blood and qi stagnation.

Do you have blood and qi stagnation? Signs and symptoms are:
stabbing pain
dark purple tongue
cramping during period
pms symtoms during period
clotting during period

These are the most common complaints I hear. How does Acupuncture & Herbal Medicine help?
Acupuncture and Herbs move the blood and qi. Women are amazed after a few months of treatment to learn PMS symtoms are not normal as they have been told. You don’t have to feel out of sorts during your period.

What can you do at home to help?

1. Put warm compresses on your abdomen even when you are not in your period, to increase blood flow.
2. Eat warming foods, not cold and raw foods.
3. Practice yoga or tai chi, but avoid pilates and crunches if you are having a difficult time conceiving. Regular exercise is ok, but you don’t want to over work your abs, we are trying to increase blood flow.

Want to learn more? Give me a call: 512-653-6131

What Does High FSH Mean In Chinese Medicine?

Very common question. I have found that high FSH is a sign that the womens body is out of balance, and is just not nourishing the reproductive system. When women who have been diagnosed with high FSH come into our office, they feel hopeless. Their spirit has been broken.

The good news is that I have seen many women who have very high (80-100), come in, change their diet, get regular Acupuncture treatments and sometimes take herbs. Within 3-6 months often their FSH count is much lower.

I have seen many women with higher than normal FSH become pregnant, and have healthy, happy little ones.

The FSH is checked on the 3rd day of a womens cycle. In most clinics of Western Medicine the FSH should be 8 or under.

Does Acupuncture and Herbs work for everyone? I wish I could say yes, but — I truely believe that we all have a purpose in life. Some of us will be mothers to our children, and some will be mothers to the world. There are just some women, that cannot conceive — but that does not me you are less of a women, or that you don’t have a purpose. It means that you were meant for something else that is just as dear and just as special as having your own children. Once you determine what that purpose is, you will be just excited as finding out you are pregnant.

It probably doesn’t feel that way at this time, but time heals.

Lean Cuisine Recall? Why Eat Frozen?

The latest recall of Lean Cuisine frozen food shows one of the reasons why I stress to my patients that eating fresh fruit, veggies and lean meat is so important. When we buy food that has been processed we never know what all it has been processed with or what may be in our foods.

It is very easy to keep fresh food in your own kitchen. You can cook it ahead of time and freeze it yourself, if you don’t have time to cook after a long day at the office, or while taking care of your children and home.

It is all to often that we are hearing of recalls on our food. Why does this happen? Taking care of yourself and your family is so important. When we take the time to prepare are own food, there is love and care that goes into it.

Sometimes we have to be reminded it is not a job, it is not a burden — It is a gift, a blessing we are very lucky to have healthy whole foods that nourish or bodies.

Take the time. It will not only improve your overall health, but it can make your life better in many ways. Eating healthy improves your heart, mind, spirit as well as your reproductive system.

Taking Care Of Your Body

I recently learned through the Envivironmental Working Group that, “only 11 percent of 10,500 ingredients in beauty products have been tested for safety.” That means that one in thirteen women are exposed on a daily basis to products that are know or are probably carcinogens. These toxins can harm the reproductive system. The article said that most women will come into contact with one hundred chemicals before breakfast.

It would be wise for all of us to check out what we are putting on our bodies. Just think that you may be rubbing toxings into your breast, face, legs, arms, etc. No wonder many women are having a difficult time conceiving. It may not be the blame for your infertility, but it is worth taking the time to read and understand the products you are using. This is good advice for everyone, not just women.

I suggest reading Gorgeiously Green. By: Sophie ULiano This is where I learned about all the toxins and it could help you improve your life.

Endometrial Lining

I see women who do not have enough endometrial lining. Without enought lining the embryo cannont implanti. Often I find that their body is usually very hot or very cold. Either can contribute to not making enough lining or the lining being thicker than it should be for implantation.

What is wonderful about nature is that each month a women can see changes if she makes changes in her diet, and if more is needed Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine can be used. It is amazing to see how fast the body can change, and how much it changes from month to month.

By keeping a basal body temperature chart you can actually see if your body is hot, cold or normal.
What is neat, is when you keep the chart, you can watch your temperatures change, and with that you will see monthly cycle changes.

Feel free to email your chart to me if you would like to know more about it.

katimc@ancientartsaustin.com

Where Is Your Uterus?

How many of you have been told you have a tilted uterus? Even if you have not chances are your uterus is lower than it should be due to our vertical, standing position we are in most of the time.

Other reasons for a loser uterus may include:
diet
prolasped uterus
fibroids
and more

Here is one way to preform Acupressure to help you lift the uterus:

Use both hands and place on top of your pubic bone.
Press gently inward toward your spine
Once you press as far back toward your spine as possible you should be under the uterus.
You can then lit the uterus upward.
Hold for 33 seconds and release.

Why 33 seconds? 3 is a number that represents yang in Chinese Medicine. You need yang energy to raise the uterus.

Is this true? Who knows but you might as well do it 33 seconds, it can’t hurt.

Have You Been Diagnosed With Unexplained infertility?

Most of the time when women come into my office, they have been diagnosed with unexplained infertility. Although many of these women have not had all the test to confirm that diagnoses, there is nothing obvious so they just get the unexplained diagnoses.

In Oriental Medicine we look for patterns such as:
1. Is the patients body hot or cold?
2. Does the patient have blood stagnation or not?
3. Does the patient have spleen qi deficiency?
4. Does he/she have yin or yang deficiency?
5. Or perhaps blood deficiency?

The same type of diagnoses can be made for male infertility.

Your question is how does this effect me, or is there anything I can do about this?

The answer is yes. Warming or cooling the body with acupuncture, diet and herbs is very effective. Herbs to increase the yin or yang, blood or qi are equally as effective.

In the last year what I have seen the most of is Kidney yang deficiency. Which in Western terms would mean low progesterone. Why is this? Maybe our diets, perhaps medications that we are taking.
Maybe just a lot of stress.

Can Acupuncutre and Herbs help with this? Yes, it can.

How do you know it working? Keep a basal body temperature chart, you will see the change for yourself.

Have more questions? Check out my website at: www.austininfertility.com or give me a call:
512-653-6131

Learning to Deal With People

People come in all shapes and sizes.  People believe many different ways.  People say things that hurt others.  People say things that make others feel good, bad, happy, sad.

When you are facing infertility, it seems often things that are said make you sad.  People ask you when you are going to have children, or why haven’t you had children?

If I could give women one thing, besides conceiving I would give them the ability to just anwser the questions without letting them get to you.  This can be one of the many challenges women who have be unable to conceive face.

Did you know that stistic wise women who are around other pregnant women often become pregnant?  Just you know that keeping a good atittude, without stress helps you to become pregnant.

When you are able to conceive would you like people to be happy for you.

Understanding that things happen for a reason is very important.  Understanding that the women doing the talking are just as excited as you will be when you conceive.  In fact — understanding how difficult to find the right thing to say to women who are facing infertility are sometimes difficult.

Maybe this is all part of the “joke.”  Are better said maybe this is all part of the lesson you are suppose to be learning.  Maybe once you understand are to handle the talk, you will be ready to conceive.

What I do know is when our bodies are out of stress, happy, healthy conceiving is much easier.

It is ok to tell others, we have been working on children and hope to have good news soon.  It is ok to say that is a touchy subject at this time.  It is ok to say, I will be ready to talk about this someday.

But, the important thing to remember is that things happen for a reason.  Relax, enjoy, and spend time around young children and babies.  Who know maybe you will find the peace you are looking for.