This is great news for men and women who wish to increase their chances of conception when they use IVF.

The greatest difference between the acupuncturist/Chinese medicine practitioner, the IVF specialist and these clinical trials, is that acupuncturists understand that acupuncture can play a much bigger part in a woman’s IVF cycle than simply being used on the day of transfer.

In my practice I work with women throughout their entire IVF cycle by applying my Fine-Tune Fertility program.  The benefit of this approach is that the acupuncture helps a woman to manage the side-effects of the high doses of fertility drugs she is taking prior to ovulation.

Leading up to the egg harvest, a woman will take drugs which stop her from ovulating.  These drugs sometimes cause bloating, fluid retention and emotional distress.  As a woman’s follicles mature into eggs she sometimes feels distended and some pain in her lower abdomen around her ovaries.  Acupuncture is very useful in helping a woman manage all of these side effects.

Dr Caroline Smith, an acupuncture researcher at the University of Western Sydney, is currently supervising a clinical study to measure the use of acupuncture by women who have poor ovarian function.  The premise of this study is to test what acupuncturists have known for hundreds of years – that, when administered correctly, acupuncture can stimulate blood flow to a specific are in the body (including the ovaries).  Nourishing a woman’s egg reserve is a key benefit of acupuncture as a woman’s follicles are developing in her uterus during an IVF cycle.

Using acupuncture for its effect on blood has also been shown, over time, to help women who have scant menstrual blood.  When there is little menstrual blood it suggests the lining on the uterine wall may also be inadequate and this is a major cause of infertility in many women as there is not enough blood for the egg to embed and be sufficiently nourished to grow.

After undergoing an IVF transfer, a couple then waits for about 14 days before they have a pregnancy test.  In my experience, this is often an anxious time for a woman as she begins to wonder whether she is pregnant.  During this time we can use acupuncture to moderate the nervous system, decrease stress and anxiety and promote the nourishment and development of the follicle.

Taking the time to prepare your body for a fertilized egg and possible pregnancy is a very important and often neglected, part of a woman’s journey through IVF.  My Fine-Tune Fertility program is able to be used for women undergoing an IVF cycle as it strives to prime a woman’s body to make it ready for conception and supporting a pregnancy. This program improves blood flow to the uterus, nourishes the follicles in the ovaries and regulates the nervous system.

Please comment on this post or visit my website at www.peterkington.com.au to find out more information or to contact me directly please e-mail info@peterkington.com.au

In Chinese medicine we differentiate between ‘blood’ and ‘menstrual blood’.  Menstrual blood, in the Chinese medicine model, is a derivative or substrate of regular blood.  It is unique because it is the blood associated and involved with conception.

In reality, the difference between ‘blood’ and ‘menstrual blood’  is definitional.  It was the traditional Chinese way of acknowledging that blood involved with menstruation is used differently by the body.  For a start it is cyclically generated, rising and falling according to the time in a woman’s cycle.  The blood associated with menstruation is related to the growth and development of a foetus which is a function the ‘other’ blood does not perform and the blood associated with conception and foetal development is also associated with the formation of the mother’s milk in the later stages of pregnancy.

When I work with a woman to help her conceive, much of my work revolves around the blood.  As I clinician I strive to engender the blood to help a woman develop a healthy and thick uterine lining (called the endometrium) which is essential for a fertilized egg to implant in.  Healthy and thick endometrial blood also means a burgeoning foetus will grow – much like a seedling will not thrive in a garden if there is poor quality dirt that is not watered sufficiently.

The really exciting thing is that Western science is now starting to discover that acupuncture and herbal medicine can achieve great things for a woman struggling to conceive.  A 1996 study published in the journal, Human Reproduction (11: 1314-1317) demonstrated the effectiveness of acupuncture in stimulating uterine blood flow.  The scientists involved in this study used 10 infertile women with diagnosed blood flow impedance.  Drugs were used to ‘down-regulate’ (that is, stop) blood flow and then acupuncture was used to ‘up-regulate’ (that is, start) blood flow.

When treating the menstrual blood, acupuncture and herbal medicine are highly effective.  Blood deficiency, as it is known in Chinese medicine speak, is extremely common and a major cause of many fertility and pregnancy related disorders.  Diet and lifestyle, overwork, irregular sleep patterns and stress often deplete a woman’s (menstrual) blood, as does long-term use of the oral contraceptive pill.

While acupuncture and herbal medicine work a treat in redressing this imbalance, a diet rich in blood building foods is also most important.   Following is a list of good, readily available blood building foods available in most major Australian supermarkets (source:  http://acupuncture.rhizome.net.nz/Deficiency/BloodDeficiency.aspx):

To learn more about the work I do with helping men and women conceive and the support I can give to pregnant women, I invite you to visit my website:  www.peterkington.com.au and please forward my information to any family or friends you think might find my work helpful.

For me, there is nothing more refreshingly delicious than surveying the apples on offer, spying “the one” for me, selecting it and sizing it up to my mouth.

Is is going to fit?  Am I going to dislocate my jaw?  Is it going to be floury (gosh, I hope not – there’s nothing more repulsive).

And then it happens…. **CRUNCH**.  Juices flow down your chin and your mouth is filled with that amazingly unmistakable taste explosion of a fresh, crunchy apple.

We in Australia are terribly spoilt for beautiful fresh fruit, but I’m here to tell you that I’m an apple snob.  I won’t give you a thank you for one of those ghastly floury apples.  And despite being an Australian apple, I’m no great fan of the Granny Smith apple (except where my Mum’s apple crumble is involved).

But there was a time when I travelled the world for a living and one of my fondest memories of my many trips to the USA, takes me to a roadside apple cart in the state of Georgia.  It was August and it was hot and I purchased an apple that seemed like it was about the size of a soccer ball.  And delicious, whoa – too good to be true.

So, what truth is there that an apple a day will keep the doctor (or acupuncturist) at bay.  Nutritionally we know that apples contain sucrose, malic acid, citric acid, tartaric acid, quinic acid, pectin, phosphorus, calcium, iron, potassium, sodium and vitamin C.  In food medicine apples are used to remedy indigestion (without the skin), largely due to the acids in apples which slow the growth ferments and bacteria in the digestive tract.

The pectin in apples help cleanse the body of toxic metals like lead and mercury, the remnants of radiation and can be excellent for removing ‘bad’ cholesterol.  And in my days as a traveller I recalled my grandmother’s theory that grated red apple that has oxidized (gone brown) is a great remedy for stopping diarhoea – I can attest that from personal experience.

In Chinese medicine we use apple in our food to help treat digestive dryness – so things like constipation, bad breath, stomach ulcers and persistent thirst which ties in nicely with what the western science of nutritional tells us as well.

So perhaps there is some truth in that old adage about Doctors (and acupuncturists).  Thanks for reading and please take a moment to visit my website at www.peterkington.com.au to learn more about me and the work I do as an acupuncturist and natural fertility specialist.

Primarily this herb will be used to address disorders of the blood.  For example, if your practitioner determines that your body is lacking sufficient blood to function properly, Dang Gui is the classic herb to address this.

If your body lacks sufficient blood then you might be experiencing anaemia, brittle finger nails, dry hair, dizziness, blurred vision, gynaecologial problems, even heart palpitations and sleep difficulties.

But building one’s blood isn’t Dang Gui’s only function.  Like all Chinese herbs, Dang Gui has more than one function and in addition to building your body’s blood supplies, it also helps to move your blood.

When your blood isn’t moving you may be experiencing menstrual pain, muscular cramps and headaches.  You may also have problems with you period being early, late or even erratic.  In all, Dang Gui is a very commonly used herb in many gynaecological disorders both requiring blood to be built and blood that needs to be moved.

Practitioners of Chinese medicine recognise Dang Gui as being a ‘moist’ herb, which means it helps to lubricate the body.  For this reason, Dang Gui is often used to help lubricate the intestines and can function as a laxative, under certain pathological conditions, thus making it effective in the treatment of constipation.

And every so often, a blood herb like Dang Gui will do something completely out of the blue – like treat cough and treat shortness of breath.  The reason for this is that Chinese herbs are almost never taken alone and when combined with other herbs form a combination of herbs we call a herbal formula.

In this instance, Dang Gui is used with other herbs which help stop coughing, just like it is combined with different herbs to address gynaecological or pain disorders.

As always, this blog is posted solely for information purposes and one should never take anything without the guided support of your preferred, qualified clinician.  Please click through to my website:  www.peterkington.com.au to learn more about me and how I use herbal medicine in my clinical practice.

The most recent of these articles can be found on the ABC’s website:  http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/02/08/2813236.htm?site=news

As I was reading this article, I reflected on the products I sell in my own practice and thought it timely I share with you my thoughts on this subject as well.

Australia has a body which governs the safe manufacture and distribution of all therapeutic goods.  This body is called the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).  The TGA is a division of the Department of Health and Ageing.  You can visit their website here:  http://www.tga.gov.au .

All herbal products sold in my practice are manufactured, safely, under TGA guidelines.  Australia has a two-tiered regulatory system in place for complementary medicines.  This system is based on ‘risk assessment’.  Items are either “Listed” (which means the ingredients are deemed low risk) or “Registered” (which means the ingredients are considered high risk).

You can tell if an item is recognised by the TGA as the product labelling will contain something like this “AUST L” and then a registration number.

What that number means is that the TGA is satisfied that the ingredients of the product are commonly used, tested for efficacy and that they have a body of evidence behind them which supports their use.

The TGA also monitors the manufacture of these products and also records any known reactions experienced by people taking these products.

So, reports like that listed above are not wrong – but they are not entirely right either.

When I was studying in China I often came across herbal medicine products which had been combined with steroids, antibiotics and a host of other pharmaceutical drugs.  When not administered by a practitioner qualified in both pharmacology and herbology (the name the Chinese give to the practice and study of herbal medicine), these products could be very dangerous.

Similarly, I guess it is always possible that such products might find their way onto the shelves of some disreputable supplier somewhere in Australia.  But if they had not passed the watchful eye of the TGA, they would be in breach of the act to be selling these items.  I do not sell any such products in my clinic.  I purchase my stock from recognised and reputable suppliers.

This is why it is ALWAYS a good idea to check the bona fides of your clinician who is selling you these products.  Many of the herbal medicine products I sell in my clinic are designated “Practitioner Only” and to order and sell these I need to be a registered member of the Australian Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine Association.

Most herbal medicine products I sell are manufactured in factories in China under the watchful eye of the TGA.  Products are routinely tested for heavy metals and only the highest quality herbs are used.

It is true, however, that there are some Chinese herbal medicinal products which, if inappropriately administered, can be dangerous.  While I don’t always agree with their rulings on these herbs, the TGA has banned the use of several commonly used herbs as they considered them to pose a risk to the community.

What’s more, it is my opinion that Chinese herbal medicine products should only ever be dispensed by an appropriately qualified practitioner – one who has the appropriate level of training to safely diagnose and prescribe.  Again, this is an important part of your checking your clinician’s bona fides.

To learn more about me, my practice and to help me improve my rankings with Google, Yahoo and friends, please click through to my website and have a look around  www.peterkington.com.au

Thanks for reading and your comments, thoughts and reflections are most welcome….