Day 1, house call.

As I blogged yesterday, I was asked in to help treat a patient who had been hospitalised for Pre-Eclampsia.

Treatment went well and we used points to focus on her presenting symptoms and overall constitution.

At one stage, I had a Doctor come in who was fascinated with what I was doing and how acupuncture works. I was pleased that she was positive about it, because lets face it, acupuncture isn't integrated into main stream medicine much yet. Im certain that the day when acupuncture and herbal medicine is integrated into our medical system, isn't too far away. Many practitioners are certainly starting to see the benefits of integrated medicine, its just a matter of both health systems opening up and allowing each other in. This will happen in my time as a TCM Dr. It has to ,because the results in doing this can be fantastic and give people a new time of health care they deserve.

So we will sit tight and see what the next few days bring. I hope that by adding acupuncture to this patients course of treatment we can achieve a long and healthy pregnancy.

When duty calls

Tomorrow Im off to do a hospital visit for a patient. She called me yesterday, distressed because she had been admitted to hospital for pre-eclampsia at 31 weeks gestation. Its really scary for any mother to be admitted 9 weeks before their due date. I can totally feel her worry. This was me. I too was admitted to hospital with Olivia at 30 weeks. I can't explain what happened to my world that day, but Im certain time stood still or at least went very slowly. Being in hospital and waiting for the unknown is awful.

But Im confident! Im looking forward to seeing her tomorrow and doing a 'house call.' I know I can use my knowledge to treat her and attempt to get things under control. If your not familiar with what Pre-Eclampsia is, it's the onset of high blood pressure during pregnancy which is serious for both the mother and baby.

So tomorrow I will aim to relax her and bring her body back to a parasympathetic state. This means that all body systems may have the ability to work better. By supporting the Kidneys (most important in treatment of reproductive health) we can also ensure that fluid is moving around the body and not building up. TCM excels in these circumstances as it treats the patient individually, as she presents. The diagnosis distinguished by careful observation of the patient as well as compiling their signs and symptoms. More than likely, the Liver has a strong involvement in high blood pressure. This means that its necessary to sooth the liver energy. Acupuncture has an affect on the endocrine system as well as the immune system, helping to inhibit an improper inflammatory response and prevent an autoimmune attack. Makes sense? Probably not to you but to me, all this means that we can really give the body some necessary support tomorrow and wait to see how the body responds.

Im keen to get in there tomorrow! I will keep you posted with this patients progress. Her situation is certainly on my heart and in my prayers.

Why fertility drugs may work for some and not for others

Nothing has changed this week, in terms of drawing on clinical experience for a topic for my blog. It is sometimes tricky to write from an objective point of view, when so often much of my material I write about goes against the grain. This topic is no different. I feel somewhat drawn to discussing fertility drugs, specifically clomid/serophene/clomifene or similar this week - going by not one, but several instances in the clinic where women have been prescribed it because western medicine has nothing else to serve them.

Clomid is an interesting drug. If you are unfamiliar with it, its is a prescribed fertility drug that basically encourages the body to ovulate. Whilst it does successfully induce ovulation by up to 90%, only 5 - 25% of women taking it will fall pregnant as a result. Unfortunately, the chances of miscarriage in women using the drug is higher. One of the main side effects of Clomifene is that it dries up the cervical fertile mucus, necessary to nurture, feed and transport sperm to the ovum. Without this, it is very difficult for pregnancy to result. But wait... there's more! Clomifene also thins the uterine lining, making it harder to conceive, since the fertilised egg requires a thick healthy endometrium to implant into. I suspect these two factors alone (decreased mucus and thinning of the lining) may be why pregnancy rates are so low by those taking Clomifene.

We see alot of women through their fertility journey - some taking or have previously taken clomid. Good news for them is that Acupuncture and Herbal Medicines have been shown to improve both uterine lining and cervical mucus as it works on hormone regulation and supporting body function. This is a result of increased blood flow to the reproductive organs, as well as TCM supporting the overall workings of the body. Furthermore, acupuncture has also been show to decrease miscarriage rates substantially. Clomid or not - both these factors are extremely important to address in the overall scheme of fertility.

As to why drugs work for some and not others - it entirely depends on the constitution of the patient. Some patients need less support and others need a lot! One thing remains the same however - any form of supportive treatment will benefit a patient no matter what the constitution. Its just another reason why I love TCM! (Traditional Chinese Medicine)

Of course, if I had my way with every patient, it would be to enable them to grasp the concept of making their body work properly. Encouraging body systems to work as one, certainly possible with alternative treatments, lifestyle changes & education. Sadly, this isn't always possible, but it is possible to support a women's fertility whatever stage of that journey she is at.