That being said, there are some general acupuncture techniques that have worked for countless women during the past 3,000 years or so. To keep things simple, I’m going to provide a list of statistics and thoughts on acupuncture and fertility that you may find helpful:

• Acupuncture can boost fertility by helping your body function more efficiently. It boosts your immune system and your circulation. When your body functions more efficiently, it allows other treatments, like IVF, to work more efficiently.
• In a study published in April 2002 in the reproductive journal, Fertility and Sterility, researchers found that acupuncture with IVF significantly increased pregnancy success. Of 160 women, 80 received two, 25-minute acupuncture treatments – one 25 minutes prior to having fertilized embryos transferred into their uterus and one directly afterwards. The other 80 received no acupuncture treatment with the transfers. In the acupuncture group, there were 34 pregnancies, while only 21 pregnancies in the IVF alone group.
• Acupuncture can help stimulate egg production in women who don’t wish to use fertility medications. However, it generally only stimulates the body’s natural process of the growth and release of one egg, while IVF allows for the production of multiple eggs.
• Also noted in the 2002 study, acupuncture increases the production of endorphins, the body’s natural “feel good” chemical, which also plays a role in regulating the menstrual cycle.
• Acupuncture may also help when the lining of the uterus is too weak to maintain a pregnancy.

The bottom line is that acupuncture (sometimes with the help of Chinese medicinal herbs) helps the body function as efficiently as possible within your unique lifestyle. I often suggest modifications to some of those lifestyle habits to further increase your chances of success. I recommend regular acupuncture treatments for a minimum of three months prior to starting an IVF protocol. Remember, the more efficient your body is functioning, the more efficient fertility treatments may work. And, the more efficient your body is functioning, the greater chance of pregnancy without other medicinal intervention.

Source: WebMD, “The Ancient Art of Infertility Treatment”

Amy LeSage, LAc
Licensed Acupuncturist

Healing Tip of the Week
If you’ve been struggling with fertility, please call the Advanced Wellness Center today, and set up an appointment for a Complimentary 15-Minute Consultation. Find out how acupuncture can help you with a natural or medically assisted pregnancy.

One of the most effective ways to prevent weight gain, bloating and inflammation after all the holiday treats (or any time) is also the easiest. It’s the reason we have teeth. It’s chewing.

That’s right! Chewing your food until it’s in a liquid state before you swallow will prevent you from eating too much food at any one time. You simply cannot eat that much when your stomach and brain have registered the “full” mark. In addition, starting out your meal by eating the protein first, your chances of eating all the sugary foods is reduced.

Chewing your food slowly and thoroughly also increases digestion. Think about the difference between trying to break apart a rock as opposed to breaking down gravel. It would be easier right? It’s much easier on your stomach to accomplish digesting smaller food particles than large ones.  As you’re chewing, the natural enzymes in your food are also released, aiding in the release and distribution of the nutrients in your food. Technically, this is the reason we eat. Eating provides our bodies with the essential nutrients it needs to live.

Rebecca Rebmann, CTN
Certified Traditional Naturopath

Healing Tip of the Week
Here are some strategies you can practice through the holidays and beyond:

1. Chew your food until its liquid before swallowing.
2. Chew each bite 20 times.
3. Don’t swallow your food at all. Let it completely breakdown and dissolve in your mouth.

Symptoms: Major anxiety episodes resulted from the side effects of sulfa poisoning. Patient was already stressed due to demands of being a stay-at-home mom.

Treatment: Alpha-Stim, as needed. After first 20-minute treatment, symptoms decreased immediately. Thus, the increase in neurotransmitters (serotonin and nor epinephrine) increased with the alpha wave passing through the brain and nervous system.

Note from patient in office: “The Alpha-Stim has been a miracle for me!”

The Alpha-Stim® SCS empowers you to control your anxiety, depression, and/or insomnia. Used just 20 to 60 minutes every day, every other day, or on an as-needed basis, it can help induce a relaxed state and enable the user to focus attention on the task at hand. The Alpha-Stim® SCS is well tolerated and very safe in contrast to drugs, many of which have been proven to have undesirable side effects and can be addictive. The Alpha-Stim® SCS leaves the mind alert. The person undergoing CES treatment will often report a pleasant, relaxed feeling of well-being. Anxiety reduction is usually experienced during treatment, but may be seen hours later, or even the day after treatment. Depression and insomnia control is generally experienced after one to two weeks of daily treatment.

Bryan Ales, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic

Healing Tip of the Week
If you’re experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety and/or insomnia, try the Alpha-Stim. It may help you avoid taking medications, which can result in undesirable side effects.

Your gut hosts upwards of 100 trillion bacteria, yeast and other microbes with over 500 strains of the microflora. There are only about 75 trillion of your own cells in the human body.

Take a moment to let that sink in. There is an entire living ecosystem within your body that has a population greater than yourself! Much like our own planet’s ecosystem, the gut’s ecosystem works in a very balanced and symbiotic manner if left unfettered. In fact, these organisms are vital in affecting blood-sugar balance, cholesterol metabolism, making vitamins and many other functions. And, between 50-75% of your body’s immune system is associated with your gut.

Most Americans do not have a healthy gut. The 2^nd and 5^th most prescribed medications in 2008 were the heartburn drugs Nexium and Prevacid.

There are many reasons why you may be having gut issues. These can include food allergies, abnormal amounts of certain bacteria, parasites, antibiotic use, low amounts of acid or enzymes, or damage caused by many factors. Gut health is crucial for overall health. If your body is unable to digest and absorb the nutrients in your food, your whole body suffers. Taking an antacid for your heartburn or a laxative, unfortunately, doesn’t fix the underlying causes.

Paul Fuhrman, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic

Healing Tip of the Week
Try making homemade sauerkraut (fermented cabbage). Cabbage, which is the starting material for sauerkraut, is high in glutamine, which is essential for gut repair. Homemade sauerkraut also contains large amounts of bacteria known to be good for gut health. Not to mention it tastes great on a bratwurst!

Overall, 60 percent of patients who received chiropractic care benefited to the same degree as those who underwent surgery. Further the 40 percent who could not be helped by chiropractic care, did go on to benefit to the same degree from the subsequent surgery as those who underwent surgery initially. “There was no detrimental effect cause by delaying their surgical treatment.”

The medical researchers concluded “our research supports spinal manipulation performed by a doctor of chiropractic is a valuable and safe treatment option for those experiencing symptomatic lumber disk herniation, failing traditional medical management. These individuals should consider spinal manipulation as a primary treatment, followed by surgery if unsuccessful.”

Separate studies that I’ve reviewed have additionally proven that cold laser, traction, core rehabilitation, and acupuncture are also effective in treating disk herniations. The Advanced Wellness Center uniquely provides expertise in, and can combine for even greater efficacy, all of these treatments, thus providing our patients the best possible results in overcoming the agony of many debilitating conditions such as disk herniation and sciatica. I’ve personally experienced this very condition and am thankful to the doctors of the Advanced Wellness Center for helping me to overcome it.

Dr. Mark deDubovay, DC, CTN

Healthy Tip: Always consider alternative medicine options first, as many of our patients do. Tell your friends that each and every one of our practitioners offers complementary consultations. During these appointments, all questions can be thoughtfully answered and appropriate care

However, most exercise experts now agree that this type of stretching should be saved for after your workout. When performing stretches that involve long holding times and no movement, also known as static stretches, you are actually temporarily weakening the muscles that you’re stretching. This isn’t good if you’re preparing to play a sport or do exercise where strength and coordination of these muscles is crucial for performance and safety. Instead I recommend what’s called a dynamic warm-up. This involves explosive movements, such as jump squats or lunges, where muscles are being activated rather than turned off. It’s kind of like telling them “wake up, its time to work.”

The static stretching is crucial after your workout. This is where we’re trying to condition your muscles to be “long and strong;” a great recipe for performance and safety.

Paul Fuhrman, DC
Doctor of Chiropractic

Healing Tip of the Week
Try a dynamic warm-up instead of your static stretches before a workout. I personally like the one demonstrated at the link listed below.

http://www.dutchlowy.com/2009/08/26/my-warm-up/

One of the secrets of such cuisine is the liberal use of garlic in combination with parsley. It’s simple and affordable. It gives food a zest it would otherwise lack, and it’s very healthy. Garlic contains hundreds of nutrients and minerals. And, it has powerful antibiotic, antiviral and antifungal properties.

And the best part is that when you handle garlic and find it difficult to get rid of its smell on your hands or your utensils, you just rub parsley on them and voila! The smell disappears.

Sese Novas, DC

Healing Tip of the Week
Marinate your chicken or fish with lots of garlic and parsley, and enjoy!

A case of a really sore thumb made me look into Acupuncture. It had really gotten to a point where I couldn’t even use my left hand, and the cortisone shots that my primary doctor prescribed were only temporary cures. After the second cortisone shot failed to relieve my pain, I decided to pursue another cure for my thumb.

I took the time to educate myself about Acupuncture and I was convinced that it would help me. I was a little apprehensive. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted a bunch of needles being pierced into my skin. But I knew it was the right move to make and after meeting Dhannel I decided to just go for it!

She was very professional, friendly and extremely knowledgeable. I was definitely impressed!

I began going in for treatment two days a week for the first month. After those first 30 days, the pain was 50 percent improved. I felt so much better. After the second month, I began to go in weekly, bi-weekly and now monthly. Even now that I am only going in on a monthly basis, I feel like 90 percent of the pain in my thumb is completely gone.

I have also noticed another astonishing effect of the treatment. Since I began going in, I no longer get hot flashes. Its great!

Acupuncture heals. It is completely worth giving it a try, no matter what type of pain you suffer. Go see the practitioners at the Advanced Wellness Center.

-Leslie Noel

As one of our patients, you understand the value of great health. We would like to encourage you to offer that same value to your friends and family.

Our Friends Helping Friends Program will help you do just that! Tell them about us, and they will receive a 50% discount on their New Patient Visit with one of our experienced acupuncturists. And, for referring your friends and family, you will receive 50% off your next visit with your acupuncturist.

Let your friend know which acupuncturist you want him or her to schedule with. When they call to set their appointment, have them mention your name as the referral source and the Friends Helping Friends Program. After their first scheduled visit, which includes a one-hour consultation, exam and discussion of findings, you will get 50% off your next visit!

Enjoy a happy, healthy summer!

Don Hockersmith
Acupuncture Dept. Administration

* This offer is only applicable with the Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Dept. of the Advanced Wellness Center.

Healing Tip of the Week
Make sure that when your friends or loved ones call to schedule the first appointment, they mention our Friends Helping Friends Program and your name. We want to make sure to thank you for the referral with 50% off your next visit!

An increased sense of awareness is a great start to more clearly understand the causes of an anxious state. Lao Tzu, an ancient Chinese philosopher, stated, “When one is depressed they are living in the past, and when one is anxious, one is living in the future”. Here we can see how the busy mind and feelings of increased needs can cause the body’s nervous system to react. Moving away from this state and being more still with ones own self can guide one to more peace.

Through Chinese medicine, we can further understand how our emotions have a direct affect on our physical body. Acupuncture, Chinese herbs, food and lifestyle cultivation are great ways to calm anxiety and provide relaxation for the mind and body.

Vincent Koeller, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncturist

Healing Tip of the Week
Here are some helpful tips when experiencing anxiety:

• Avoid alcohol and caffeine.
• Evaluate your to-do list. Overwhelming to-do lists can create a great deal of anxiety.
• Exercise:
  
  • Light yoga
  • Even breathing
  • Goal oriented workout routines
  • Moving the body and feeling fluid
• Increase quiet time:
  
  • Baths
  • Meditation
  • Walking in nature
  • Watching a movie