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Chinese medicine?

I was infected with mumps and chicken pox (2x) when I was young.. had low blood pressure and sweaty palms.. my body get 'heaty' easily.. does all these affect fertilty? I ovulate regularly and no blocked tubes, been on clomid 8 cycles with no success.. my hb got plentiful sperms.. the doc suggest to approach chinese physician.. had anyone had success on chinese medicine?

Public Comments

1. There are no easy answers when it comes to questions about fertility and infertility, but traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has some answers that are slowly gaining acceptance in Western culture. Although it might seem new and rare in the United States, using acupuncture and medicinal plants or herbs to treat infertility were described as early as 476 BC in China. In addition, according to Roger C. Hirsh, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist with a doctorate in oriental medicine, TCM puts a greater focus on gender equality in treatment. "Unlike Western medicine, which has traditionally focused on men as subjects of medical research, in Chinese medicine there are records of medicine aimed solely at women from around the time of Christ," says Hirsh. "Even before that time there are records of documents that deal with menstrual cycle and gynecological diseases." Parts of a Whole Western medicine is based on the idea of man as machine. In the 17th century, Descartes, a French mathematician and philosopher, compared a healthy man to a well-made clock, composed of parts that can break down and be replaced or fixed. Attempts to better understand this complex machine resulted in focused studies of increasingly smaller parts of the machine. This led to specialization and fragmentation. Chinese medicine, on the other hand, still focuses on the whole body, including the spirit, as an entity. "In the TCM concept, a person is seen as an interaction between their body, mind and spirit," says Hirsh. "It's a very ancient and balanced approach to total wellness, and it tries to find the underlying cause of disease, rather than just treat the symptoms." In the case of TCM, thinking about fertility begins long before infertility becomes an issue. Eugene Zhang, L.Ac., of Traditional Acupuncture and Chinese Integrative Medicine in Fairfax, Va., says it's important to maintain a healthy lifestyle for maximum fecundity. "When we speak of lifestyle, there are a lot of things involved, but in general we look at diet, sleep and work," says Zhang. "All of those tie together. If you're in a high-stress life it can complicate efforts to conceive, so we use acupuncture and herbs to assist in relaxation and to maximize the body's natural abilities." Living a healthy life is sound advice for anyone who is thinking of attempting pregnancy because, as Hirsh points out, being at optimum health is best not only for maximum fertility, but for a healthy pregnancy and the ability to bounce back more quickly after the pregnancy. "I tell young couples that when you get engaged is when you should start cleaning it up so you and your mate can have healthy children," says Hirsh. Treating Infertility There are no guarantees of fertility with Chinese medicine, just as there are no guarantees with Western medicine, but incorporating TCM into infertility treatments can bring a balance to the process that may otherwise be lacking. Just as with Western medicine, the practitioner of TCM assumes there is an issue with fertility after an otherwise healthy couple has been trying to conceive for at least a year. This is the time to see a fertility specialist, but it's also a good time to investigate TCM as well. "If an infertility issue is suspected, it is best if the couple visits an infertility specialist to see if there's an obvious problem with their reproductive system," says Zhang. "If everything is normal and they still can't get pregnant, TCM can help in the process of trying to conceive." Generally, the TCM approach is to use a combination of acupuncture and herbs. Medical studies have indicated that acupuncture and certain herbs can increase blood flow to the uterus and stimulate ovulation in women and can help increase sperm motility in men. In addition, as Zhang points out, when undergoing most contemporary medical procedures associated with infertility, there are usually a lot of drugs involved. Acupuncture and herbs can help alleviate these problems. According to a German study published by the National Library of Medicine in April of 2002, acupuncture may also increase a couple's chance of conception when used in conjunction with more contemporary types of infertility treatments such as in vitro fertilization (IVF). In this study, 160 participants were divided into two groups, each receiving a standard IVF procedure. One of the groups, however, received acupuncture before and after implantation. The standard in-vitro group had a 26.3 percent pregnancy rate, while the acupuncture group showed a 42.5 percent success rate. Older Mothers and TCM Hirsh notes that the majority of the infertile couples he sees are over age 40. Biologically, the ideal age to have children is about age 21 to 28 for women, but more women are putting off pregnancy to pursue careers. This can cause problems as their fertility decreases and they decide to become pregnant. TCM uses a couple-centered approach to deal with this. "The real push on TCM for older couples is to get the couple superbly healthy and to get rid of any underlying problem, such as endometriosis," says Hirsh. "Then it's time to get a workup from a reproductive endocrinologist, go back to your acupuncturist or herbalist and let them know what your FSH levels are and what levels they need to rise to. TCM is very effective in helping to raise these important hormones. " TCM also helps the man to encourage his wife in their conception endeavors, which has also been shown to raise FSH levels. In the end, Hirsh would really like to see health education in schools that is focused on the important issues of reproductive health, but not limited just to sexually transmitted diseases. "People don't understand when they are most and least fertile in their lives," he says. "They don't understand about healthy lifestyles and how they affect pregnancy and birth. It's an important subject but one that's virtually ignored in our schools. The reason I do reproductive health care is because I have a chance to affect the generations to come, but I'd rather start with a healthy, young couple who are laying good groundwork for someday having a child." Here are a few suggestions from Eugene Zhang, L.Ac., of Traditional Acupuncture and Chinese Integrative Medicine in Fairfax, Va., and Roger Hirsh, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist with a doctorate in oriental medicine, to create a healthy lifestyle for pregnancy: * Smoking, alcohol and caffeine are not conducive to good health and should be stopped. A small amount of caffeine is not necessarily harmful, but it should not be excessive. * Focus on a low-fat, high fiber diet with foods as close to their natural state as possible. * Exercises that promote flexibility and strength – such as yoga – are excellent for anyone, particularly those who are tied to a desk all day. * Avoid stress as much as possible. If you are in a stressful job, try to find techniques, such as yoga, meditation or other activities, that can help alleviate or help you learn to handle the stress. * Try to get eight hours of sleep per night.
2. chinese is good at curing the chronic illness (shock,strock,tuberculercess,etc) and from your sentence,i could tell ,yeah,chinese medicion should help but remember,you need to find a real chinese doc not the fack one(there are many of fack chinese doc )