WHAT CAN YOU DO: ​
ACUPUNCTURE: 

• You may be confused or angry why this is happening to you or you may have anxiety about your upcoming procedure. In these cases acupuncture can help you  find balance. 
• Certain herbs help reduce bleeding during surgery. These herbs do not interfere with Western sedative drugs so they can be used even the day of your surgery. Read about them here

EXERCISE: 

• The better shape you are in the easier you will bounce back after surgery. 
• You also want to strengthen and tone your core and pelvic floor muscles to help minimize atrophy and   deconditioning. 
• You will need strong arms to help getting out of bed and strong legs getting into the tub.

DIET: 

• If you haven't yet, change your diet. Eat well and begin to increase your protein intake a few weeks before surgery so that your body has a reserve for recovery. 

*Some medications, supplements and foods need to be stopped before the surgery. The exact instructions your doctor wants you to follow will be given to you at your pre-op appointment*
WHAT ELSE SHOULD YOU DO: 

• Select the date for the surgery. You will need 3 - 6 weeks off for recovery, depending on the type of work you do.
• Call your insurance company and have your own insurance verified and make sure everything will be covered. Get the persons name you talked to and get a reference number for the call. 
• Talk with your family/friends, you will need someone to get you from the hospital and look after you for a couple of days minimum.
• Clean your house, do your laundry and make sure you have lots of nourishing food on hand. Pre make and freeze your meals. You will be able to move around to get to the kitchen but you won't be able to cook a thanksgiving meal or do anything strenuous.
• Make a big pot of bone broth to sip on instead of water. There's a proverb from South America that says a good broth can revive the dead.  
• Forget the skinny jeans, buy some granny panties, ego aside go for comfort. Buy two size bigger than your usual. Same for sweats and pants. This is not the time for fashion show, your belly will be swollen for a while. 

• If you are completely terrified it is worth talking to a psychologist.  

• Do not cut your nails, pick your pimples or shave for 72 hours prior as it increases the risk of infection. If hair needs to be removed the hospital staff will clip it for you. 

THE NIGHT BEFORE YOUR SURGERY: 
Usually you are told to stop eating and drinking 8 hours before your scheduled time / stop foods and drinks at midnight. This means no morning coffee, chewing gum, candy. Have a "last meal" and live it up, but eat nothing after midnight. This is essential for your safety. General anesthesia relaxes the muscles in your digestive tract and airways. With an empty stomach the risk of inhaling stomach contents into the lungs is reduced. Your surgery may be cancelled if the fasting instructions are not followed so take this seriously!

THE DAY OF YOUR SURGERY: 

• Make sure you have your ID and your insurance card. If you have a "Living Will" bring a copy with you. 
• Wear loose, comfortable clothing and shoes that you can slip on and off like flats or flip-flops. 
• If you are on your cycle wear a pad. No tampon. 
• If you develop a cold or sore throat or any other illness within two days of your procedure, call your surgeon's office. 

• You are extremely stressed and that's understandable. The nurses that greet you in the hospital are very nice and understanding. You will be assigned a room and given a gown to change into. You will be asked to remove everything. All jewelry, piercing, contact lenses, wigs and nail polish (the nail bed is one of the best places to detect low oxygen levels in your body during surgery). 
• The nurse will confirm things that she has already been told, like your name and the procedure you are having. She will also take your blood pressure, temperature and pulse. They do a pregnancy test too. Next you will be introduced to the gynecologic resident, he is assisting your surgeon and the anesthesiologist, the person you are scared the most of, "what if he doesn't give enough juice and I will wake up during surgery? You just never know"  
• Next you are entered the operating room which is always freezing cold, but you will be given a comfy blanket immediately. You are inserted your IV and have your surgical site marked. This is required by the hospital lawyers, funny you might think since you only have one uterus. During the surgery you are secured with a safety belt and your arms are placed on an arm board to prevent you from moving around.  You are also given inflatable compression boots to massage your legs in order to prevent the forming of blood clots. 
• The operating bed is very narrow and uncomfortable but this doesn't really matter because once the mask approaches your face you are completely out in about 3 seconds. 

POST SURGERY: 
Now you are on the other side! Things will only get better from here :-) 

THE FIRST FEW DAYS:  

• Don't let your pain medication wear off completely. The doctors will pump some major painkillers into your IV and incision area so you won't feel a lot of pain. Don't assume that you won't need the super potent painkillers you are being offered. Once the medicine wears off and the pain catches up to you it is really hard to get back on top of it again. It'll also make it much harder to get up and walk around. 
• Usually you are allowed to shower one or two days after your surgery. You will be given a cover for your incision so it wouldn't get wet. Be quick, get in, use luke warm water and get out. Warm water may cause you to faint, especially when you are already light headed from the painkillers. Usually you are cleared for bathing in two weeks.

​In the following few paragraphs I’ll explain two traditional herbal formulas that can significantly help your recovery process after an injury or surgery. Please read on carefully and take notes :-) 

YUNNAN BAIYAO 
Yunnan Baiyao or “White Powder” translated to English, is a very well known formula in the Chinese Medicine community to help stopping external and internal bleeding, or even to save your life. 
I used this formula for my surgery because I wanted to have a fast, uncomplicated recovery.
My doctors were both concerned and surprised how little bleeding I had. I remember my surgeon mentioning, she had "never seen anyone bleed that little during surgery". I smiled and didn’t reveal my secret, as she clearly wasn’t open to Chinese Medicine. The reasons I did not tell her prior surgery that I’ll be taking this formula, were:
- because as I said she had no interest in Chinese Medicine,   
​- because she wouldn’t of taken the time to read upon it and most likely she would of just advised against it,
- because doctors like the blood to be thin, to prevent forming of blood clots. Yunnan Baiyao in clinical studies show to speed up clotting of the blood and reduce inflammatory response.
- I had been recommending this formula for years to my patients, so I kind of felt obligated to finally first hand experience whether it really works. 

Please keep in mind that this formula is for short term use only, mostly for emergencies. Because, taken internally it clots and thickens the blood, people with heart problems, history of stroke, heart attack or diabetes can’t take them internally. Also not suitable for pregnant women either. 

External use: 
It can be used externally for cuts & open wounds. For example when you cut yourself chopping vegetables while making dinner, or when you fall off your bike and scrape your skin off, or when you mistakenly cut your fingers off (ouch) while chopping wood. You got the idea. Sprinkle the powder on the injury (it’ll help scabbing faster), and follow the standard First Aid procedures, cover your wound with a bandaid or gauze. 

Internal use: 
Internally it was actually used during the Vietnam War to save the lives of wounded soldiers. You can also use for surgeries, like I did, to reduce the amount of blood loss and prevent infection, or for gunshot injuries, or (getting graphic again) someone stabs you, so anywhere, where you want to limit the amount of blood you lose.
Of course if you were shot or stabbed you still must go to the hospital immediately after taking Yunnan Baiyao!!

Every bottle of Yunnan Baiyao comes with a little red pill. This red pill is used for serious internal bleeding only, for example on the day of your surgery, or when that aforementioned gunshot or stabbing happens. 

Yunnan Baiyao was invented in China in the early 1900’s by a family of doctors. It’s ingredients originally were a secret, however the communist government forced the family to give up the recipe and they made it cheap and widely accessible to the general public. The exact ingredients and production process for making Yunnan Baiyao are still a state secret.
One of the primary herbs in the powder is San Qi, or in English, Pseudoginseng which is a known herb to stop bleeding.

​You need three things for an injury to properly heal: movement, blood flow & inflammation. ​

Chinese and Western Medicine agree that on the long run (pun intended) extreme endurance training depletes the body. The purpose of this article is to give you a few dietary suggestions on how to minimize the negative effects of your training and help enhance your performance. ​

Western Medicine is concerned about excess inflammation, overwhelmed immune system, heart enlargement, etc. while Chinese Medicine worries about that the long training sessions, irregular work schedules, competition anxiety, stress, overindulgent lifestyle deplete first our Qi, the yin and/or yang, body fluids and last our Jing. Jing is our life essence, we must not waste it. If we run out of it we have nothing left and we die… ​

✅ EAT RED MEAT, AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK
The size of your fist is sufficient. From a Chinese Medicine perspective, eating meat, especially red meat, helps to build blood. Blood is required for healthy growth, reproduction, emotional well-being, and pain free muscles and joints. When there is blood deficiency, you experience anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, thinning of your hair, and problems with your fertility, your period, your tendons and muscles. From a Western Medicine perspective red meat is used to treat general weakness, increase energy, overcome deficiencies post training, during illness, tiredness, pre and post surgery. Meat contains plenty of good quality protein, iron, and zinc (helps wound healing) - and strengthens the bones & tendons. ​

Wild animals and wild fish are also worth adding to your diet when you have the opportunity. They usually have less saturated and more healthy fats, because most of these wild animals themselves eat a diverse diet of plants. 

If you do not eat meat increase your intake of mushrooms (shitake, black ear and white ear mushrooms), baked or fried tofu (prepared with warming spices such as ginger and onions), darker beans (adzuki, lotus seed and mung bean), black sesame seeds, dark leafy green vegetables (water chestnut, celery, spinach, broccoli, green beans, snow peas, sugar peas, bitter greens) wolfberries and cherries to prevent blood deficiency, fatigue and injuries. 

✅ EAT ROOT VEGETABLES
Beets, carrots, yam, yucca, parnships, potatoes grow in the dark, they absorb a great amount of nutrients from the soil and therefore are very nourishing. From Western Medicine perspective [root vegetables] help endurance athletes build stamina (glycogen stores) and keep them fuller longer. 

✅ EAT LOCALLY AND EAT FOR SEASON
Nature has the perfect plan for providing the appropriate foods in each given season. The fruits and vegetables that ripen in the summertime (broccoli, asparagus, lettuce, spinach, cucumber) tend to be on the cooling side and not recommended for use when the weather is cold. In wintertime choose a more warming diet (yam, potatoes, carrots, beets) because it’s cold outside and we need warming foods to keep us warm and nourished.

❌ DO NOT COUNT CALORIES
Food is a tool in endurance sports. It is also to be enjoyed.
The best part of endurance training is that you can eat anything you want [well mostly anything], because you are going to burn it off. If you are hungry eat, do not starve yourself. 

What more important is: most of your calories (65-75% of your daily intake) should be coming from carbs. Mostly from complex carbs (oatmeal, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, pumpkin, squash, beets, whole grain bread, lentils, beans and peas) to help restore your glycogen stores and help keep you going. Simple carbs (sugar, sports drinks, gels etc.) have a place in your diet during a race or long training days.  

❌ NOTHING COLD
Chinese Medicine believes that anything cold, (ice cream & iced drinks) slow down organ functions and cause stagnation. The body likes to keep its core temperature steady at about 100° F. and the stomach requires a warm environment to properly function. Cold slows your digestion, causing bloating, fatigue, pain and in women painful periods, cramps and may prevent you from getting pregnant (you need to provide a warm home for your growing baby). The person already always feeling hot (Yang), will be even hotter because the body needs to generate heat to warm up the cold fluids. 
Chinese Medicine is advocating for drinking room temperature or even warm liquids. Warm improves circulation & blood flow and reduces painful contractions. 

❌ DO NOT FAST
Especially as an endurance athlete. Neither Western nor Chinese Medicine advocate fasting or frequent detoxification regimes because [in Chinese Medicine] these practices tend to deplete the body’s energy. The human body is well designed to eliminate wastes and toxins, and a number of organs play a role: the kidneys and the liver draw substances out of the bloodstream and process them for the body to excrete as waste. Fasting stresses the body, forcing it to operate on stored nutrients. Just eat healthy, train & sweat and you won't ever have to detox or do cleanses. 

❌ LIMIT YOUR INTAKE OF ALCHOL
1g of alcohol = 7kcal so it's pretty high in calories. (Protein & carb 1g = 4.2kcal, fat 1g = 9.3kcal)
​Alcohol is an anti nutrient: it inhibits the normal metabolism of vitamins; it increases the urinary excretion of calcium and magnesium; it interferes with the normal metabolism and storage of nutrients; it inhibits optimal glycogen restoration. It’ll take up to twice as long to replace glycogen stores in athletes who have consumed alcohol compared with athletes who have not. Alcohol also affects the central nervous system, resulting in reduced motor skill function, lower cognitive function and behavioral changes, all of which impede the athletic endeavor. These effects may be long lasting, having a measurable effect for hours or days after alcohol consumption. 

❌SUPPLEMENTS 
You train hard to be the best version of yourself. Adding supplements that claim to boost your performance and give you a mental or physical edge can be very tempting. But be careful, there is so much misinformation out there:
1. Dietary supplements are regulated differently than conventional foods and drugs. Manufacturers are not required to prove that a supplement is safe before it is sold, or even that it works. The FDA can take action to remove or restrict the sale of a supplement only after it has been on the market and been shown to be unsafe. 
2. Most products advertised as having ergogenic properties do not, and those that do work would lose their ergogenic properties if you followed a diet plan that satisfied your energy and fluid need. Most supplements are taken to counter ongoing dietary shortcomings. Think about it, it is cheaper, safer and more effective if you correct your diet. (For example: the amino acid delivery from protein and amino acid supplements is more than 10 times more expensive than the consumption of a small piece of chicken or meat and the chicken is known to be safe. Also: a single ounce of meat provides about 7000mg of high quality amino acids vs a typical amino acid supplement provides only between 500-1000mg.) 
3. Long term safety studies have rarely if ever been performed. 
4. Many herbs sold as ergogenic aids have no known chemical content or known active ingredients.
5. The legality of some of these products is also in doubt. Studies have shown that many of the supplements are laced with banned substances not listed on the label. Regardless of whether this contamination is purposeful or a result of poor quality control, this could place you at a risk of failing a banned substance blood or urine test!  
So instead of focusing on a magic bullet - take a safer, cheaper and more realistic approach: ​have a balanced diet that satisfies your energy and fluid needs. ​Always support growth and improve your performance naturally. ​Use supplementation only when real foods are not practical or not available. 

Make these changes in your diet and notice how you feel. I guarantee that you will feel superb and will be able to perform better.
​Happy training :-) ​

The knowledge of health and disease in China developed purely from observation of the natural world and man's place in that world because dissection was forbidden and the subject of anatomy did not exist yet. Sharpened stones and bones that date from about 6000 BCE have been interpreted as instruments for the early acupuncture treatments, then later needles from bronze, gold and silver were used. Today in the USA only single use disposable needles are permitted. ​

Types: The foundation of the medicine is based on the ancient Taoist principles of Yin (passive, slow, cold) and Yang (active, hot, excited), the transformation of energies within the body as well as external environment to achieve balance. According to tradition, the practice of acupuncture is based on a philosophy of balance and unity between the Universe, living beings, and energy flow that penetrates everywhere and everything. Unlike Western biomedical science, Traditional Chinese Medicine does not make a distinction between physical, mental and emotional components of life. Disease arises from imbalances in the body due to unhealthy factors in the natural environment and one’s lifestyle. ​

Traditional Chinese Medicine also teaches that some people have hot (yang) constitutions, making them prone to fever and inflammation in parts of the body, while others tend to have cold (yin) body parts and get chills. A person’s constitution is taken into account when treating them. The main concept and philosophy of acupuncture is to return the body to a harmonized, balanced state. Health is achieved by correcting and maintaining the balance of Yin and Yang. To read more about Yin and Yang click here

Though acupuncture originated in China, it has spread to other countries at various times and by different routes. Hence Japan, Korea, Viet Nam, the U.K., France, and the United States have adapted acupuncture to their cultural influences. This has resulted in different type of diagnostic methods, philosophy of treatment and applications of practice.  

For example: 

Traditional Chinese Acupuncture: used mostly for internal disorders. If you suffer from headaches, anxiety, depression, want to lose weight or would like to get pregnant your best bet is to seek someone specializing in Traditional Chinese Acupuncture. Much as in Western Medicine, a diagnosis is made based on an examination of a patient’s signs and symptoms. The acupuncturists will take a look at your tongue and pulse for determining which acupuncture points to use and similar to Western Medicine some acupuncturist may prescribe herbs. The tongue? Thousands of years ago MRI and X-rays did not exists so the chinese used the tongue to determine the state of your health. We analyze the shape, size, color and coating of the tongue and select points according to what is seen.  You may read more about tongue diagnosis here.
Japanese Acupuncture takes a more subtle route. Fewer and thinner needles are used with less stimulation. Acupuncturist trained releasing Trigger Points focus on the posture of the individual and feel along the muscles, looking for taut bands of fibers that contain tender spots. This style is especially effective with musculo-skeletal problems and chronic or acute injuries. If you are suffering from any kind of pain or sports / orthopedic injuries seek the help of someone trained in Sports Medicine Acupuncture. Acupuncturist trained in Sports Medicine Acupuncture focus on proper biomechanics, perform orthopedic tests for diagnosing, needle motor points to activate dormant muscles, release overworking muscles. Our goal is correcting your alignment and taking you out of pain. Practitioners incorporate principles from Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Sports Medicine to view and successfully manage the patient’s injury from the initial assessment, through treatment and rehabilitation and onto injury prevention with a truly integrated perspective. Other acupuncturist use the ear to treat the entire body. While most acute and chronic complaints can be treated effectively and simply with Auricular (ear) Therapy it is widely used for smoking cessation, substance abuse, weight loss therapy and by the military to treat pain and post traumatic stress in soldiers. Scalp acupuncture, a technique invented in the last decade, is a direct development from the neuro-anatomy of the central nervous system. When the brain is damaged, in diseases such as a stroke, the scalp is stimulated superficially over the area of damaged brain. Although there is no clear connection between the nerves in the skin of the scalp, and the brain, this method does seem to produce an effect on the brain and the Chinese claim that they are able to alleviate some of the symptoms of a stroke with this procedure. In Electro Acupuncture an electrical device is used to provide a continuous, gentle stimulation to specific acupuncture needles. The mild current flowing through promotes healing of injured or inflamed joints or muscles and increase the release of pain reducing chemicals within the body. Korean Hand Acupuncture focuses on points located on the hands. It includes reflexology level of treatment, similar in concept to the reflexology of the foot. The reflex map of the hand was discovered in 1971 in Korea and has been clinically and experimentally tested for accuracy. There is also the European Five Element Theory and several other styles.. 

There is no evidence that one particular style is more effective than another, but since they are quite different, you should know what you are getting into!

Safety: Acupuncture is considered safe when performed by an experienced practitioner using sterile needles. Actually, there are fewer adverse effects associated with acupuncture than with many standard drug treatments (such as anti-inflammatory medication and steroid injections) used to manage painful musculoskeletal conditions like fibromyalgia, myofascial pain, osteoarthritis, and tennis elbow. 

Benefits: People seek acupuncture for the prevention of illness, relief from pain, internal disorders, and relaxation. Possible outcomes of acupuncture treatments may include:

• Increased energy
• Decreased pain and muscle tension
• Feeling younger and vibrant
• Deep relaxation from the stresses of daily living
• Learning how to nourish your body type and how to maintain health outside of treatments

You train hard to be the best version of yourself. Adding supplements that claim to boost your performance and give you a mental or physical edge can be very tempting. An almost never-ending array of products advertise their performance-enchancing (ergogenic) properties. But be careful, there is so much misinformation out there:

- Dietary supplements are regulated differently than conventional foods and drugs. Manufacturers are not required to prove that a supplement is safe before it is sold, or even that it works. The FDA can take action to remove or restrict the sale of a supplement only after it has been on the market and been shown to be unsafe. 

- Most products advertised as having ergogenic properties do not, and those that do work would lose their ergogenic properties if you followed a diet plan that satisfied your energy and fluid need. Most supplements are taken to counter ongoing dietary shortcomings. Think about it, it is cheaper, safer and more effective if you correct your diet. (For example: the amino acid delivery from protein and amino acid supplements is more than 10 times more expensive than the consumption of a small piece of chicken or meat and the chicken is known to be safe. Also: a single ounce of meat provides about 7000mg of high quality amino acids vs a typical amino acid supplement provides only between 500-1000mg.) 

- Long term safety studies have rarely if ever been performed. 

- Many herbs sold as ergogenic aids have no known chemical content or known active ingredients.

- The legality of some of these products is also in doubt. Studies have shown that many of the supplements are laced with banned substances not listed on the label. Regardless of whether this contamination is purposeful or a result of poor quality control, this could place you at a risk of failing a banned substance blood or urine test!  

Takeaway:  
Instead of focusing on a magic bullet - take a safer, cheaper and more realistic approach: 

1. find a good training program and a good coach
2. have sufficient rest 
3. have a balanced diet that satisfy your energy and fluid need (you can use this macro nutrient calculator to calculate your daily needs) 

​Always support growth and improve your performance naturally. ​Use supplementation only when real foods are not practical or not available. 

Marine advocates for veterans, one record at a time: last year 5862 pull-ups in 24hours, this year flipping a 450 pound tire up on 5th Avenue. All in an effort to motivate fellow veterans to make the same dedication to their health and fitness as they did to their country. 

A doctor on board an Air China flight managed to save the life of a passenger suffering a seizure mid-flight using a few toothpicks and a spoon last week.
Thirty-eight-year-old Dr Tian Yu, a medic from the rheumatology department of Shanghai’s Longhua Hospital, was travelling on a domestic flight from Kashgar to Urumqi in the Xinjiang province of western China when a fellow male passenger in his thirties was found to be unconscious and foaming at the mouth, the Shanghai Daily newspaper reported.
Dr Yu appeared on the scene when he heard an in-flight announcement calling for a doctor on board. After deducing the flier was suffering from epilepsy, the doctor asked cabin crew for a spoon and a towel.

He reportedly used his fingers to remove the vomit from the patient’s mouth to prevent the passenger from choking. He then wrapped the towel around the spoon before placing it inside the man’s mouth to keep him from biting his own tongue, the Daily Mail reported.

Dr Yu, who is reported to have a background in Chinese medicine and previously worked as an emergency ward doctor for seven years, used the toothpicks to apply pressure to key acupuncture points, including the baihui aperture and sishencong aperture, around the patient’s head in an attempt to “activate the brain”, according to the Asia Wire Report (AWR).

Due to plane restrictions, “There was no needle available on the plane, and toothpicks were the best replacement I could find,” the doctor told the Shanghai Daily.
The patient was reported to have regained consciousness after five minutes of being stimulated with toothpicks, and was then able to sit up and ask for water. About 20 minutes later, the patient was collected by paramedics for further treatment after the plane landed at Urumqi Diwopu International Airport.
The sick passenger was said to have suffered epileptic seizures in the past but had not been taking medication, according to the patient’s friends.

Dr Yu was reported to have advised the patient to travel with epilepsy medication on future flights to avoid similar incidents, warning that the “changes in air pressure and lack of oxygen on board are conditions that can easily induce seizures,” he told AWR.

We’ve doubled up on naturally probiotic fruits, cut out our favorite salad add-in veggies, and even sprayed bacteria in our homes—all in the hopes of finally achieving a healthy gut.
But, what if a wellness practice—instead of a menu item—was the answer to all of your digestive issues, from serious constipation to garden-variety (but oh so annoying) bloating? Great news—a healthy gut may be as easy as booking an acupuncture appointment.
A new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine found that people with severe chronic constipation may get relief from electroacupuncture, a technique that uses acupuncture needles connected to a device that sends electric pulses into the body.
The study took 1,075 people who suffer from chronic, severe “functional” constipation—meaning they goless than twice a week—and split them into two groups. Half received electroacupuncture administered to the muscle layer of their abdominal wall, while the other half received “sham” treatments, where the needles were applied at points not considered therapeutic in acupuncture.
Over the eight-week treatment period, 31 percent of patients in the electroacupuncture group had successfully overturned their bathroom troubles, while only 12 percent of the “sham” patients achieved the same success. While this was great news for those who got relief from their gut problems during the study, it didn’t end there: For 38 percent of them, the relief continued after the treatments stopped.
If electroacupuncture seems like a hard-to-find solution, New York City-based acupuncturist Daniel Hsu says traditional needling can be effective as well. Whether it’s electrically enhanced or not, acupuncture heals in two ways: “It makes the body release its own naturally occurring painkillers” and “it helps the body calm the nervous system,” he tells HealthDay.
Since stress is often the root cause of irritable bowel syndrome and other GI issues, acupuncture can help to even out the body’s response to stress. Add that to our list of efforts on the way to the healthiest gut possible.

​http://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/coconut-shortage/

Repost from ​http://babiesafter35.com/scientist-tried-acupuncture/

I am a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist who takes care of women with high-risk pregnancies with roles and a clinician, educator, and researcher. My practice is academic and evidence-based, which means I practice according to the most recent proven research/data, and I am also a researcher myself. My career and training have been spent reading the latest articles and contributing with my own research to improvements in maternal care. For the most part, my professional life has been greatly influenced by what can be proven and supported with science.
As one can imagine, when an unexpected journey infertility became my reality, my professional AND personal worlds were turned upside down. After two failed embryo transfers with five cycles of IVF and one egg donor cycle, I began to question everything I thought I knew. Although I was 39 when my journey began, I truly believed I would only need one or two cycles of IVF and be pregnant in no time. After two years of infertility treatments, it was clearly evident that ovarian aging was my problem. Not only that, but my uterine lining was never ideal for an embryo transfer. My ovaries and uterine lining were manifesting the effects of my age.
Before my experience with infertility, I was never one to entertain the idea of alternative medicine. I knew that many women going through infertility utilized various forms of alternative therapies, but it was never something I considered. I simply stuck to what I was taught as an OB/GYN and relied on the guidance of my doctors. I do remember, however,  going to my infertility appointments and seeing fliers for a local practice for acupuncture and wellness medicine. I admit, I rolled my eyes a few times thinking to myself, “Whatever…this stuff doesn’t work.” For nearly a year and a half of infertility treatments, I simply took what was prescribed for each IVF cycle and trusted in the process.
In October of last year, I had a failed embryo transfer of two donor egg embryos. With this failure, I was broken. I was completely devastated. After multiple heartbreaks and many rides on the emotional roller coaster, I was desperate and confused. I second-guessed every decision I had made up to that point and wondered if I could have done anything differently to change my outcome. After many months of robotically proceeding though infertility treatments, I finally acknowledged that maybe part of the problem was me and how I handled the stress and emotional toll of my infertility journey.
I thought about those acupuncture fliers and decided to see what it was all about. A month later, I had my first visit that ended with my committing to a treatment plan for infertility.
The scientist was trying alternative medicine…
I started acupuncture treatments for stress relief, and I even agreed to taking Chinese herbs for stress relief and improving my uterine lining. I have to admit, I still wasn’t convinced that it would help, but at that point I was willing to try anything. I kept telling myself, “It’s not going to hurt. I have nothing to lose.” I only told a few people that I was doing this therapy; not because I was embarrassed. I just didn’t want to see the eye rolls or have to answer questions about my choice to pursue this option. Especially since my friends and my colleagues knew that I was not one to support such methods of treatment.
I did acupuncture and Chinese herbs from November until March, when my husband and I decided to transfer two more donor egg embryos. During these months of treatment, I can honestly say that my stress level was significantly reduced. Where I really noticed a difference was at work. My job is very fast-paced and high-stress on most days, and I seemed to come home less anxious and mentally drained. My husband noticed a difference as well.
I can’t say I went through treatment with acupuncture and Chinese herbs expecting a miracle, but I did let go and was committed to the process. I really did my part as a patient to make the most of my therapy. I can honestly say I tried.
My embryo transfer was March 11, 2016. Looking back, I was less anxious and stressed about this transfer compared to the two times before. I actually felt more at peace–at peace with whatever outcome was to come my way, good or bad. Although my uterine lining still wasn’t stellar, we proceeded anyway. It was the best it was going to get. This time I felt I was mentally and physically ready.
…and just like that, I was pregnant…with twins.
TWINS!!
Do I credit therapy with acupuncture and Chinese herbs for my pregnancy?…I don’t know.
What I do know is that I truly believe it played a significant role in my successful embryo transfer. Looking back, I know my stress level was affecting my lack of success with infertility treatments, my overall mental well-being and my ability to handle the stress of disappointment. My choice to let go and put my scientist brain in time-out proved to be a good choice and a positive experience for me. I admit I was stubborn and close-minded about the potential benefits of alternative medicine.
When asked about acupuncture or herbal therapy, I no longer say, “It’s not going to hurt. You have nothing to lose.” I now recommend without hesitation that anyone going through infertility treatments consider using acupuncture and/or herbal therapy during their journey.
The scientist was wrong, and I have two babies on the way to prove it 

​by Shannon M. Clark, MD, founder of Babies After 35 and Due At 42