When our doctors practicing acupuncture, one of the most common questions that patients asked is ‘Are there certain things that you treat more than others?’. When hearing doctor answer that he mostly works with fertility issues, they look quite surprised, saying something along the lines of ‘I never knew acupuncture for fertility’.

Acupuncture is just for pains?

There is a common misperception that acupuncture just helps with aches and pains. ‘it hurts here so stick a needle there’. So how does acupuncture help with fertility? We can explain this at a basic level in physical terms, but to appreciate it fully we need to consider it in a holistic way.

From a physical point of view, we can readily understand that if we put needles in the body in a certain area, for example over/around the uterus and reproductive organs, this can stimulate blood flow to those areas which in turn can have a stimulating effect on those organs. There have been a number of research studies to highlight this, with one such study demonstrating that acupuncture improves the thickness of the endometrial lining and increases the chances of embryo implantation.

However, what interests us is how the mind can be involved in fertility issues. From our clinic’s experience in the treatment of women’s issue, there appears to be a clear link between one’s internal state and gynaecological state. It is more difficult to research this effectively as feelings and emotions are hard to quantify. It can only be attested through clinical practice.

One such case occurred recently. A lady came to our clinic, she had been trying for over a year to get pregnant with her husband, and wanted to give acupuncture a go. She initially came for two weekly treatments with us and then returned a few weeks later to report that she was pregnant. She had been struggling with chronic stress for some time, and commented after the treatments how noticeably relaxed and calm she felt. She said she felt so much better in herself from the acupuncture treatment.

TCM help improve infertility with its ways

From the point of view of TCM, she had a pattern of Qi Stagnation. Essentially this occurs when one’s energy and emotions become blocked or stuck in some way. This can develop from being exposed to stressful situations over a long period of time. From the Chinese medical pulse diagnosis, this pattern was evident in her. So we used acupuncture points on specific meridians to try to shift this stagnation.

According to TCM, Qi (‘life energy’) flows throughout the body and also underlies our mental and emotional states. When Qi becomes blocked or stagnant, our physical and mental-emotional health suffer. The Qi meridians link to different organs and can also have a direct effect on our organ health.

There is research to show that acupuncture affects hormone levels by promoting the release of beta-endorphin in the brain, which affects the release of the gonadotrophin releasing hormone by the hypothalamus, follicle stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland, and oestrogen and progesterone levels from the ovary.

TCM views health as a state of balance between all of the systems of the body. In terms of fertility, there are four organ systems – Kidney, Spleen, Heart and Liver that, when unbalanced, can lead to infertility. In addition to the organ systems, there are four vital substances – Yin, Yang, Qi and Blood that can become deficient, excessive or stagnant and create a state of unbalance that may manifest as infertility.

TCM fertility specialist near you

Since establishment in 1997, SHANGHAI Medical Clinic is a pure traditional Chinese medical clinic dubai and accredited social medical facility approved by Department of Health Abu Dhabi, UAE. It provides Chinese medicine treatments integrated acupuncture, Tuina massage and Chinese herbs.  

For infertility treatment, we adopt Nasailong therapy for fertility which was exclusively founded by Dr. Wang Xiaozhong. He has cured couples with infertility issues successfully.  By stimulating acupuncture points for fertility, it can increase the pregnancy and ovulation rates by addressing different causes such as Pcos, Endometriosis, Uterine Fibroids, or Irregular Menstrual Cycle.  We suggest that restoring the balance and health of the reproductive system is essential for a successful pregnancy.

It’s important to consider that our health and wellbeing, and our fertility in particular, is something that relates to us as a whole person. If there is someone ask “what does TCM treat”, the preferred answer to the question is ‘it treat people’.  #TCM #acupuncture #acupuncturedubai #herbalmedicine