Acupuncture Increases the Success Rate of IVF

For some women and couples in vitro fertilization (IVF) is the answer to their dream of having a child. Numerous studies have demonstrated that acupuncture improves IVF success rate. One large study found a 50% increase in success rate when acupuncture is done alongside IVF. IVF can take a significant emotional and financial toll so why not do everything possible to increase the chances of success?

Ideally, I like to start treating women at least three months prior to starting IVF in order to regulate their hormones and address any underlying issues that are contributing to infertility. It is not uncommon for women to become pregnant naturally during this time. If IVF is being done solely due to male fertility factors then one month of acupuncture prior to IVF would be ideal.

During the stimulation phase of IVF, I like to see women twice a week. Acupuncture works by increasing the blood flow to the uterus and ovaries, reducing stress and anxiety (which can impact fertility) and addressing any side effects of the medications. Following stimulation, one acupuncture treatment prior to egg retrieval and one between retrieval and transfer is the standard of care.

Acupuncture before and after transfer of the embryo is essential. Acupuncture can take place 24-48 hours before and after transfer. Pre and post transfer acupuncture works to relax the uterus and calm any uterine spasms from the transfer process as well as reduce anxiety and calm stress. An acupuncture treatment one week following transfer supports implantation. In cases of sub-fertility, it is ideal to continue with acupuncture once a week for the first trimester to protect the pregnancy.

Many women undergo IUI prior to IVF and acupuncture works in a similar fashion to improve the chances of success. I generally see women once a week throughout the IUI process.

Know someone considering IVF? Please share this information with them!

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By encouraging your system toward balance, Reiki practice can help you in any situation.

Balance means different things at different times. If you are tired, you’ll feel refreshed. If you are anxious, you’ll feel serene. If you are distressed, you’ll feel comforted.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed, you’ll discover a renewed clarity and purpose. And these subjective changes come with physical changes associated with deep relaxation, such as a slower heart rate and easier breathing.

The first session usually brings improvement, and the benefits grow with repeated sessions.When you receive Reiki healing, you’ll lie fully clothed on a treatment table while the Reiki practitioner places hands lightly on or just above your head and torso.

Do you have a health — or wellness— problem you’re trying to solve?

It could be anything from staying as healthy and happy as you are now to the most debilitating disease. Maybe you suffer from chronic pain or anxiety or fatigue.

Reiki practice can help in a wide range of situations because it doesn’t treat the symptom or condition directly; rather, Reiki practice helps restore balance so you feel better and your system can shift gears from coping to profound self-healing.

Patients typically report improvement during their first Reiki treatment, although more sessions may be needed to stabilize and strengthen that benefit.

Reiki can help them to cope better with a wide range of health conditions, including:

• Cancer
• Heart disease
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Chronic pain
• Infertility
• Neurodegenerative disorders
• ADD/ADHD

• HIV/AIDS
• Crohn’s Disease
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Emotional illness
• Fatigue syndromes

How does Reiki achieve that? It creates relaxation and helps with pain management. For other people, it reduces anxiety and depression or helps with sleep and even supports digestion. Other ways:

• Enhanced well-being
• Stronger self-esteem
• Accelerated surgical recovery or as a preparation before surgery
• Reduced side effects from radiation, chemotherapy, and Rx meds
• Greater self-awareness

We can start optimizing your health and well-being now.

But menopause hormonal testing is not needed most of the time, unless we are trying to rule out an adrenal fatigue or a thyroid problem for example. The same is true for adjusting the dose.  Your doctor should rely more on how you feel and how your symptoms are changing rather than testing.

I will group my thoughts on what can help you feel better during menopause in two short posts – this is a lot of information, and we don’t need to be additionally overwhelmed right now!  Let’s start with the basics:

Most of the time, I would suggest to make sure there is no major nutrient deficiency or imbalance by using something like Spectracell or Genova blood testing. Such imbalance is known to possibly play a role in slowing down your hormone production.  The same is true for adjusting the dose.  Your doctor should rely more on how you feel and how your symptoms are changing rather than testing.

Exercise and stress reduction techniques are extremely important in this phase of your life.  And they work!  Based on numerous studies, the effects don’t take long to show up and help you feel better. Start with something easy like the 4-7-8 relaxing breath: inhale while counting to 4, hold your breath while counting to 7, and exhale all the way to 8.  It’s easy and really works for everything including bad traffic!

 Diet: I always start with discussing the anti-inflammatory diet, eliminating sugar, processed foods are among the most important first steps. Certain foods like flax seed and organic non-GMO soy can help as well, due to their phytoestrogen content.

The conclusion? Women who should not or do not want to take hormones may turn to herbal and nutritional therapies for managing their menopausal symptoms and risk factors.

These natural therapies are increasingly popular and have a growing body of scientific evidence to support their efficacy.

Supplements, botanicals and essential oils will be covered in my next post.

Feel better!

Integrative medicine emphasizes personal empowerment to choose a healthy lifestyle that can help prevent cancer from occurring, support the body through treatment or prevent recurrence. Many factors may not be in our control, but certain lifestyle choices are.

1. During cancer treatment, food should not only support the body, but also minimize the adverse reactions and even possibly  potentiate the treatment effects. Eat a plant-based  diet rich in cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cabbage), avoid trans fats and increase the amount  of omega-3 fatty acids (fish, flaxseed, walnuts) consumed. Avoid sugar and processed foods. Buy organic as much as possible. One great website to check for information is Environmental Working Group for their extensive database including  food, safe cosmetics or cleaning products, to name a few. Drink 2-3 cups of green tea a day and don’t forget your water. Incorporate mushrooms in your diet, particularly the medicinal  varieties such as maitake, reishi and shiitake.

2. Use dietary supplements cautiously and always check with your healthcare practitioner. Some of the most
common supplements  used are aloe vera, vitamin  D products, melatonin for sleep and milk thistle for liver protection.

3. Consider testing for intracellular nutrient deficiencies and replenish accordingly to make sure your body has enough resources to detox and heal.

4. Exercise! Combine aerobic activity, such as walking, with strength training and also consider more meditative movement like yoga or tai chi. Many studies actually show improved strength, immunity, well-being and survival rates.

5. Try alternative treatments for the various chemo adverse reactions: acupuncture  is great for fatigue, nausea, postmenopausal symptoms, pain or lymphedema. Massage therapy is great for anxiety, insomnia  or pain; look for a massage therapist who is trained to work with cancer patients. Any form of stress reduction therapy also helps: meditation, art therapy, music or mindfulness-based stress reduction.

In the last post, I explained why paying attention to your health has benefits not only now but later in life, and in the lives of your children, even before you are pregnant with those children. And I gave five simple guidelines for eating better, no matter what your age.

In this post, I’d like to talk about supplements. Today we have the ability to analyze health with blood testing that goes beyond cholesterol and blood sugar: often this testing can help uncover nutritional deficiencies. And these deficiencies are often the root cause of some of our most stubborn diseases.

But even if you’re not ready to explore your own nutrition in that detail, here are key supplements most of us could use:

Vitamin D

Although our bodies create vitamin D when we’re exposed to sunlight, in today’s world of working indoors and wearing sunscreen to avoid skin cancer, many of us have low levels of vitamin D. If a blood test shows that your vitamin D levels are low, a supplement is a good way to fill that gap.

Multivitamin

Consider taking a good quality multivitamin, no matter what your age. If you’re thinking of pregnancy, a multivitamin is even more important as it may help you conceive, reduces the risk of birth defects, lowers the risk of a miscarriage — and at least two studies that came out in 2011 suggest that it may reduce the risk of autism and other learning disabilities.

Look for a multivitamin with iron (for women only), folic acid 400 or more mcg, iodine 150 mcg, a maximum of 2500 IU vitamin A (as palmitate, acetate or beta carotene), Omega-3, vitamin E (as mixed tocopherols and not the dl alpha tocopherol which is the synthetic form).

Other Supplements to Consider

Probiotics help build up the “good bacteria” in your digestive tract.

Antioxidants like vitamin C or N-acetyl Cysteine help your body’s immune system stay strong.

How Medical Creations Integrative Medicine Can Help

Integrative medicine combines effective strategies and therapies from multiple methods of healing, both conventional and alternative. At its heart, this type of patient care focuses on the true problem, not just the related symptoms and effects. Accordingly, our goal is to discover the root cause (or causes) of whatever issues you are experiencing, then we concentrate our efforts there.

Beginning with your first visit or phone call, we become partners in the healing process, and work together toward your optimum wellness. Our efforts take into consideration the whole body, as well as your mind and spirit, offering responsive as well as preventative care. This is the beauty of integrative medicine.

Call (678) 732-9065 for a free consultation.

About Dr. Neacsu

The founder of Medical Creations Integrative Medicine, Dana Neacsu, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine. She completed a fellowship at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, was awarded the Joseph T. Trubiano award for professionalism in medicine, and has applied functional medicine in clinical practice at the Institute of Functional Medicine.

The biological role of K2 is to help move calcium into the proper areas in your body, such as your bones and teeth, and to remove calcium from areas where it shouldn’t be, such as in your arteries and soft tissues.

The optimal amounts of K2 are still under investigation, but it seems that 180-200 microgram doses have been used in studies. The optimal dose will depend on your health, as well as the presence of osteoporosis or osteopenia. If you are taking anticoagulants, discuss any vitamin K supplementation with your healthcare provider. Some would advocate against using it, but others would say it is fine to use as long as it is closely monitored and in small amounts.

Vitamin K2 is different from vitamin K1, which is the form found in leafy greens and is involved in the blood clotting process. The K2 form comes in part from the conversion of K1 in the gastrointestinal tract by gut flora, as well as from dietary sources.

If you take calcium or vitamin D supplements, it is important to keep the proper balance between calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, and vitamin K2. Lack of balance between these nutrients is why calcium supplements have been associated with unwanted results like increased risk of heart attack.

The ideal way to get your vitamin K2 is through food. Some of the best choices are grass-fed foods, like certain types of fermented foods such as natto beans, brie, or Gouda cheese.