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| Acupuncture & Infertility Of all the alternative therapies, acupuncture has been shown in controlled scientific studies to be effective in helping treat male and female infertility problems. Acupuncture has, of course, traditionally been successfully employed in China to treat most illnesses, but , in recent years, there have been several interesting controlled scientific studies demonstrating the clinical value of acupuncture for both male and female infertility problems. For instance, in one study of female infertility, 53 patients with Luteal phase defect (LPD) were treated with different Chinese medicinal herbs at different phases of menstrual cycle. The patients were treated for three menstrual cycles and there was significant improvement in the luteal phase of endometrium, and a tendency for normalization of the wave forms and its amplitude after the treatment. The findings suggested that Chinese herbal medicines capable of replenishing the Kidney could regulate the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis and thus improve the luteal function. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Among the 53 cases, 22 (41.5%) conceived but 68.18% of them required other measures to preserve the pregnancy. (1) Another study (2) involved 45 infertile women suffering from oligoamenorrhea ( 27 cases ) or luteal insufficiency (18 cases ). Following a complete gynaecologic--endocrinologic examination, the women were treated with auricular acupuncture (treatment of points on the ear). Results were compared to those of 45 women who received hormone treatment. Both groups were matched for age, duration of infertility, body mass index, previous pregnancies, menstrual cycle and tubal patency. Women treated with acupuncture had 22 pregnancies whereas women treated with hormones had 20 pregnancies. It was also noted that side-effects were observed only during hormone treatment and various disorders of the autonomic nervous system normalized during acupuncture. The study concluded that " auricular acupuncture seems to offer a valuable alternative therapy for female infertility due to hormone disorders" being more effective than hormone therapy and with no side effects. Traditional acupuncturists treat the whole person rather than a disease and therefore attempt to get to the root cause of the problem rather than treating the symptoms and, like other holistic practitioners, will consider all lifestyle and environmental factors before commencing treatment. Hachimijiogan, a Chinese herb, was shown in one study to benefit female infertility. Two infertile women (one with and one without a pituitary adenoma) who were resistant to medical treatment, were given Hachimijiogan which subsequently reduced the serum prolactin level, and resulted in a normal ovulatory cycle and pregnancy, without side effects.(3) In another study (4), 76 cases were treated by Traditional Chinese Medicine with a prescription named endometriotic pill No 1 made up of rhubarb as the main ingredient. The chief functions of the rhubarb were removing blood stasis, disintegrating mass and purgation. The total effective rate was 80.26%. Pelvic pain was reduced by 66.72%, and intercourse pain was reduced by 72.12%.The results revealed that the endometriotic pill No 1 yielded distinct improvement in the treatment of endometriosis, including clinical symptoms and signs. As far as men are concerned, the Chinese herb , Hochuekki-To, has also been shown in clinical studies to have a "favorable, direct effect on human sperm functions, suggesting an effect on the physiological integrity of sperm membrane." (5) Acupuncture treatment has also been demonstrated to improve quantity and quality of sperm. (6) Another study in treating subfertility by acupuncture was carried out on 28 men. Each patient received a total of 10 treatments for a period of three weeks. Several spermiograms were made and the spermiograms and hormone levels were checked before and after acupuncture. Total count, concentration and motility were evaluated and in all cases the researchers observed a statistically significant improvement of sperm quality. (7) There is therefore little doubt that acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine would be an appropriate alternative treatment to consider for both male and female infertility. (1) Preliminary report of the treatment of luteal phase defect by replenishing kidney. An analysis of 53 cases Zhang HY; Yu XZ; Wang GL Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Shaanxi. Chung Kuo Chung Hsi I Chieh Ho Tsa Chih (CHINA) Aug 1992, 12 (8) p473-4, 452-3, Traditional Chinese Medicine & Infertility A study at Taipei Medical College, Taiwan revealed that the Chinese herb, Cornus officinalis, can enhance the motility of human sperm and may, as a result, help infertile couples. An aqueous extract was prepared from the dried fruits of the herb and used in this particular study. The crude extract at a final concentration of 0.5 microgram per microlitre in phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4) solution increased sperm motility from 25.8 (+/- 7.7%) to 42.8 (+/- 10.3%). These results represent a 68 per cent improvement. The crude extract was broken down by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) into four fractions: C1, C2, C3 and C4. The effects of each of these four fractions on sperm motility were then studied. Only the C4 fraction showed substantial stimulatory effects on sperm motility. At a higher concentration of 5 mg per microlitre, C4 increased the sperm motility from 15.7 (+/- 3.8%) to 34.5 (+/- 6.4%) which represent a 120% increase. This result suggests that C4 is the active component in Cornus officinalis which enhances sperm motility. Editor’s comment: No doubt a pharmaceutical company will start manufacturing C4 as a medicine for men who have poor sperm motility. However, perhaps the wisdom of Chinese medicine should be considered - greater power is contained in the natural state of being. Jeng H; Wu CM; Su SJ; Chang WC. A substance isolated from Cornus officinalis enhances the motility of human sperm. Am J Chin Med (UNITED STATES) 1997, 25 (3-4) p301-6
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