Acupuncture helps IVF success

This is a story from Acubalance Wellness Centre (acubalance.ca), Vancouver’s leading acupuncture fertility clinic.

Following six unsuccessful IUI procedures (where sperm is injected directly into the woman’s uterus) and one unsuccessful IVF, Stephanie was told that her FSH and AMH levels (which measure fertility hormones) indicated that she would not produce enough eggs for an IVF procedure and her only hope for a pregnancy was to have IVF with donor eggs. Not willing to give up hope yet on having their own baby, Stephanie and her husband turned to Acubalance Wellness Centre (acubalance.ca), Vancouver’s leading acupuncture fertility clinic. After six months of weekly acupuncture treatments Stephanie discovered that her AMH had improved significantly and that, after starting her IVF cycle, her eggs were of excellent quality.

For Stephanie and her husband weekly acupuncture treatments finally helped them realize their dream. “After years of worrying, stress and feeling like we were running out of time, we had now finally found hope. I got pregnant with my first IVF treatment and nine months later we welcomed a beautiful and healthy 9.5 lb baby boy to our family.” says Stephanie. “The joy of being parents is priceless. I think of how close we were to giving up and how lucky we were to have found and Acubalance, in Vancouver.”

What do they suggest about acupuncture? “We encourage patients undergoing IVF treatment to seek consistent acupuncture treatments at least three to six months before a fresh IVF cycle and at least 4 weeks leading up a frozen transfer as well as making life style changes.” said Brown. “Optimal health is important for this stressful journey.”

References
https://www.prweb.com/releases/new_study_shows_that_acupuncture_significantly_increases_pregnancy_rates_for_women_with_repeated_ivf_failure/prweb16043316.htm

Research has shown that acupuncture assists IVF success

Today there are over 6 million children that have been conceived through assistant reproductive technologies including IVF. Although IVF is a well-established treatment over past decades, each step of IVF is complex with a possibility of failure. It is desirable for women to seek an assist treatment to increase their chances of achieving a pregnancy and live birth and to improve their health, quality of life and to reduce stress whilst undergoing treatment cycles. Acupuncture is a top candidate for this purpose. In the USA, 30% of patients had acupuncture prior to IVF treatment and 47% during IVF treatment. A recent study has just published and analysed 20 trials involving 5130women globally. It has found that acupuncture may have significantly increased clinical pregnancy rates and reduced miscarriages in in vitro fertilization (IVF) patients comparing with no treatment group. The findings suggest that “acupuncture may have a significant effect on clinical pregnancy rates, independent of comparator group, when used in women who have had multiple previous IVF cycles, or where there was a low baseline pregnancy rate.” “Three or more treatments and the use of a modified treatment protocol were significant effect modifiers on clinical pregnancy. The timing of treatment was also a significant modifier, with treatments post the day of embryo transfer showing no benefit on clinical pregnancy.”

References

Caroline A. Smith et al RBMO VOLUME 00 ISSUE 0 2018. https://www.rbmojournal.com/article/S1472-6483(18)30675-8/fulltext

Research has shown that facial acupuncture moisturizes facial skin.

There is a study that exam the effect of facial acupuncture on regulating the water and oil content of the facial skin. Two women (50-year-old participant A, 29-year-old participant B) received five consecutive acupuncture sessions once a week for 1 month. Water content and oil content of the facial skin were measured and compared before and after the first acupuncture session and before and after the five consecutive acupuncture sessions.

The results suggest that cosmetic acupuncture increased the water and oil content of facial skin in a female participant whose water content and oil content were lower before receiving acupuncture than those of the mean values of women of the same age.

References

Donoyama N Acupunct Med 2012;30:152–153.

Research has shown that acupuncture reduces facial wrinkles

The forehead and the corner of eyes are the common place to get wrinkles. How to get rid of these wrinkles? Do you have to be under the knife or botox injection to look good? Facial acupuncture is a good alternative. It is absolutely natural and no severe side effects. All people who had facial acupuncture with me liked it. Do you have to see research evidence to show that it is effective to convince you? Here is the publications for it. This is a case report. 8 people (5 female and 3 male and age from 26 to 61) participated the study. Four for the wrinkles on the forehead, two for wrinkles between eye brows and two for crow feet wrinkles. They received 2 acupuncture treatments and the photos were taken three times, before the first treatment, before the second treatment, two to four weeks after the second treatment. The result has shown that the winkle reduction was found in all cases on all types of wrinkles; all participants were very satisfied with the results. The only side effect was mild bruise which went soon after the treatment.

References
The Acupuncture 2014; 31(2): 165-171.

Research has shown that facial acupuncture increases skin elasticity

Beauty and skin health are important factors as a part of the quality of life in modern society. Cosmetic acupuncture or cosmetic acupuncture or facial cosmetic acupuncture is the use of acupuncture on the head, face, and neck for cosmetic purposes and has been introduced as an intervention for skin rejuvenation for facial wrinkles, facial muscle tone, and elasticity etc. A recent research studied if facial acupuncture has effects on facial elasticity. In the research five sessions of facial acupuncture were given over three weeks: twice a week for the first two weeks, then once a week for the last week, with three to four days between sessions. The result was measured using the Moire topography criteria after treatment compared with baseline before the treatments. Moire topography is an optical measurement that does not require direct contact and allows high-precision visualization of facial shape in three dimensions. Moire topography is used in studies of many facial conditions facial palsy, zygomatic fractures, facial morphology, and facial plastic surgery and facial elasticity. The result has shown that facial cosmetic acupuncture increases the skin elasticity.

References
Younghee Yun et al (2013) Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Article ID 424313, 5 pages

What are collagens?

Collagen is the main structural protein in the bodies. It is made up of 30% of the body proteins. Collagen is found in the bones, skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments blood vessels, and the digestive organs and connective tissues.

To the skin, collagen makes up approximately 80 percent of the dry weight of the skin. Collagen together with elastin provides skin with elasticity and flexibility.

To the bone,95% of organic materials in the bone is collagen and collagen work together with a mineral hydroxyapatite forming the bone structure, flexibility and strength

To the muscles, including skeletal muscles and smooth muscles (in the bladder, uterus, gut etc), heart muscles) and blood vessel (such as veins, arteries and capillaries) smooth muscle walls, collagens provide the muscles with the strength, structure and flexibility.

To the joints, tendons and ligaments, collagens also provide structure support and strength and flexibility.

The body produces collagen on a regular basis, but it slows down with age. Women experience a dramatic reduction in collagen production after menopause.

Many factors can reduce collagen production including smoking, sun exposure, and an unhealthy diet. Without collagen this important building block, you may start to see wrinkles and sagging skin, joint cartilage weakens or even experience joint pain.

Research has reported that facial acupuncture can increase facial skin elasticity.

Frontal lobe of the brain

The frontal lobe is located at the front of the brain just underneath frontal bone. It controls important cognitive skills, such as emotional expression, personality, problem solving, memory, language, communication skill, judgment, and sexual behaviors. It makes up about one third of the brain and is the largest lobe of the brain. It also controls muscles movement and speech. The frontal lobe enables us to respond to any changes accordingly. Acute stress can impair the function of the frontal lobe that required complex and flexible thinking by increasing both dopamine and noradrenaline release. Chronic stress induces the structural changes. chronic stress weakens the structures that provide negative feedback on the stress response and strengthens the structures that promote the stress response. Stress and anxiety are related to this part of the brain that is not functioning well.The stress and anxiety of frontal lobe is reflexed at the forehead tension. Facial acupuncture releases the stress and anxiety.

References

Amy F. T. Arnsten Nat Rev Neurosci. 2009 Jun; 10(6): 410–422.

doi: 10.1038/nrn2648

Elastin and aging

Elastin is a protein in connective tissue that allows tissues in the body to resume their shape after stretching or contracting. Elastin is synthesized early in life and by the time of around age 40 elastin biosynthesis slows down. The loss of elastin biosynthesis is closed related to the appearance of skin wrinkles and other aging processes. With aging, clearance of damaged elastin also slow down, as a result accumulation of damaged elastin increases abnormal elastin synthesis.

Unfortunately, externally applied elastin can not pass through the skin and can not slow the loss of elastin from aging issues.

How do you know your skin is aging?

The skin is the largest organ wrapping around the body protecting us from harsh environment such as sun, wind, pollution and toxins The skin changes with aging. In harsh environment, skin itself can be damaged and age quickly. Also sometimes we don’t look after the skin causing skin damage by doing things like smoking, drinking, poor diet and stress which would accelerate skin aging. How the skin changes with aging? With aging the skin becomes rougher; becomes slack due to loss of elastin and collagen in the skin; becomes more transparent and fragile because of thinning of the surface layer of the skin; becomes easily bruised due to thinning of the blood vessel walls.

Sun exposure accelerates skin aging. UV lights damage elastin and collagen in the skin causing the skin sagging and losing elasticity. Saying out of the sun can prevent skin damage and delay the skin changes. Gravity contributes to skin slack and drooping of the eyebrows and eyelids etc when the skin loses its elasticity. Smoking can damage the skin due to the chemicals in tobacco. Drinking makes the skin dehydrated and damages skin cells. Aging skin wrinkles easily.

Facial acupuncture helps skin repairing and delay aging process.

Why the aged skin loose and how to tighten the skin with facial acupuncture

Collagens are a hard, insoluble, and fibrous protein, the most abundant protein in the human body. Collagens are strong and flexible. They are found in the skin forming long, thin fibrils and contribute to skin strength and elasticity. In the middle layer of skin, collagen helps form a fibrous network of cells called fibroblasts for new cells growing and replacing dead skin cells.

Collagen production declines with age especially after menopause and exposure to factors such as smoking and UV light. If the skin produces less collagen, the integrity of the skin declines, as a result the skin is looser and wrinkles form.

What damages collagen and how?

High sugar: high sugar increases blood sugar attaching to the proteins to form new molecules called advanced glycation end products (AGEs) which can make collagen dry, fragile ad weak.

Smoking: chemicals in the tobacco can damage collagens in the skin.

Sun exposure and UV light: UV light make collagen breaking down quickly and damaging collagen fibers. UV light also damage the skin collagen synthesis forming wrinkles.

Aging: With aging the collagen production is reduced.

Unfortunately, collagen molecules are too large to be absorbed through the skin. So, no cream applied to the skin gives the skin more collagen.

Facial acupuncture can increase skin collagen production by creating micro injury to the skin. As a result the skin becomes tighter and wrinkles are repaired.

Having elbow pain? Acupuncture can help

Golfer's elbow, also known as medial epicondylitis. It is a condition caused by damage to the muscles and tendons that control the wrist and fingers. These tendons of the forearm muscles attach to the bony bump on the inside of the elbow. It is the opposite side to tennis elbow which occurs on the outside of the elbow. The main symptom is pain at the inner side of the elbow and the pain sometimes extends along the inner side of the forearm. Pain typically worsens with certain movements. The inner site of elbow is tender to touch. The elbow may feel stiff and making a fist might hurt. There may be weakness in the hands and wrists. There could be also umbness or tingling present. These sensations might radiate into the ring and little fingers. This condition is caused by overusing the muscles in the forearm that allow you to grip, rotate the arm, and flex the wrist. Repetitive flexing, gripping, or swinging can cause pulls or tiny tears in the tendons causing inflammation.

Acupuncture is effective for golfer’s elbow reducing pain, and inflammation.

Acupuncture improves embryo implantation for IVF

If an egg is fertilised, it will be transported to the uterus and it will be implanted into uterine endometrium. Within the uterus, the foetus develops during pregnancy. Endometrium is the inner lining of uterus. It goes cyclic changes responding to ovarian hormone oestrogen and progesterone levels and sheds off each month with new endometrial lining replaced, if the egg is not fertilised. If pregnancy occurs, the endometrium will retain. After ovulation, the uterine endometrium becomes thicker to prepare for embryo implantation. If endometrium is not thick enough (less than 6 cm), implantation does not occur. If the thickness of endometrium is greater than 12 cm, there were three times more chances to get pregnant. To get embryo implanted, there must be a receptive uterus. Ovarian hormones oestrogen and progesterone are involved in regulating uterine receptivity. Uterine smooth muscles tend to contract especially at low progesterone level. Increased progesterone level makes uterus more relaxed. The thickness of endometrium and contractility of uterine smooth muscles are the key factors for the uterus becomes receptive.

Acupuncture increases embryo implantation potential for patients with infertility. There was a study involved in 210 patients with infertility. These patients with infertility were treated with acupuncture and in vitro fertilization and embryo transplantation (IVF-ET). Acupuncture was applied before controlled ovarian hyperstimulation and during ovarian hyperstimulation. The levels of human leukocytes antigen-G (HLA-G) in the serum were determined for evaluating embryo implantation potentials. HLA-G may play a role in immune tolerance in pregnancy and its presence in embryo is associated with better pregnancy rates. They found that acupuncture can increase HLA-G for the patients undergoing IVF-ET; their HLA-G increased on hCG injection day and on embryo transfer day which indicated increased embryo implantation potential for patients with infertility.

Quadriceps femoris related thigh and knee pain, acupuncture can help

The quadriceps femoris also known as the quadriceps extensor, quadriceps or quads is agreat extensor muscle of the knee and it is a four headed muscle on the front of the thigh or four separate portions of the muscles. They all have their own names. All four parts of the quadriceps muscle join together forming one tendon which extends to the patellar lligament on the knee.

Rectus femoris is in the middle of the thigh, covering most of the other three quadriceps muscles. The rectus femoris muscle starts as two or three heads from pelvic bone. The straight head attaches to the anterior inferior iliac spine, and the reflected head attaches to the superior rim of the acetabulum and capsule of the hip. Sometimes there is a recurrent head that arises from the anterosuperior angle of the femur’s greater trochanter. All the heads join, and the belly of the muscle then runs down the anterior thigh to attach by a broad aponeurosis to the base of the patella.

The rectus femoris muscle not only extends the knee but also flexes the hip. If the thigh is fixed, contraction of this muscle helps to tilt the pelvis forward. Trigger points of this muscle can be present on front of the hip joint and knee joint. If trigger points are present in this muscle, one can feel thigh pain and tightness and deep aching in the knee.

The other three lie deep to rectus femoris and originate from the body of the thigh bone, femur.

Vastus laterlis is on the outside of the thigh; trigger points of the muscle can be found on the outside of the thigh. vastus medialis is on the inside of the thigh; trigger points of this muscle can be found at the inside of the thigh. Vastus intermedius is in the middle, underneath the rectus femoris.

Acupuncture can help release trigger points of these muscles and reduce thigh and knee pain.

Sleep, energy and fatigue

Sleep is a natural process of mind and body. It is recurrent. During sleep, the consciousness is altered, the sensory activity and all voluntary muscles are inhibited and interactions with surroundings are reduced. This helps to restore immune, endocrine, nervous, skeletal and muscular system function and helps to maintain mood, memory and cognitive function. The brain has most distinct changes during sleep. In quiet waking, the brain is responsible for 20% of the body's energy use, while the brain uses significantly less energy during sleep than it does when awake, especially during non-REM sleep (slow wave sleep). In areas with reduced activity, the brain restores its supply of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the molecule used for short-term storage and transport of energy. The brain, especially, requires sleep for restoration, while other organs’ restoration can take place during quiescent waking. The sleeping brain has been shown to remove metabolic waste products at a faster rate than during an awake state. Sleep helps facilitate the synthesis of molecules that help repair and protect the brain from these harmful elements generated during waking. Sleep increases the sensory threshold. That is, sleeping persons perceive fewer stimuli, but can generally still respond to strong stimuli, such as loud noises. During slow-wave sleep, the body temperature, heart rate, and brain oxygen consumption decrease.

Sleep deprivation can impair immune function which makes the body reducing the ability to heal. Sleep deprivation tends to cause slower brain waves in the frontal cortex, shortened attention span, higher anxiety, impaired memory, and a grouchy mood. It makes the brain consume more energy causing exhaustion which makes one feeling tired.

Tried acupuncture to help sleep?

Ovulation and conceiving

Ovary is a special reproductive organ in women. In ovaries follicles develop into oocytes; eggs are released from ovaries; remaining part of the follicles forms corpus luteum. This generates women’s menstrual cycles. There are three phases of menstrual cycles: follicular phase, ovulation and luteal phase. Each phase has distinct with featured hormone levels. The hormones are produced in three areas: hypothalamus, anterior pituitary gland and ovaries. The hypothalamus produces gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnR) which stimulates the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland produces both follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) which stimulate the ovary. The ovary secrets estrogen and progesterone. FSH and LH inhibits production of GnRH. Low concentration of estrogen increases release of FSH from the pituitary gland. High level of estrogen decreases FSH and increases LH secretion causing LH surge. This is called hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis. This axis is in control ovulation. Any dysfunction of this axis may result in anovulation and irregular period. It also can lead to infertility caused by no ovulation. The leading cause of infertility is ovulation dysfunction, either no ovulation or irregular ovulation.

Anovulatory cycle is a menstrual cycle which ovulation does not occur and there is no egg released from the ovaries. Women would think if they have periods, they must be ovulating. This is not necessarily the case. You don’t have to ovulate to have periods. This is called anovulatory cycle. The cycles could be regular with variations of period intervals. These cycles are without ovulation and a luteal phase. Anovulation is a common cause of infertility which occurs in up to 40% of infertile women. Women without ovulating may have irregular periods, or no periods. It is possible that women with regular periods have no ovulation. Once they try to conceive and they start to detect the problem. Because no egg is released and fertilization becomes impossible, the women cannot conceive. Basal body temperature charting is a valuable tool to identify anovulation.

Normal menstrual cycles are 28 days (21-35 days) with follicular phase, ovulation and luteal phase. Ovulation occurs in the middle of the cycle and corpus luteum which produces progesterone forms after ovulation. After 14 days, corpus luteum decayed and stopped producing progesterone. Uterine inner lining shed off without the support of progesterone in the case without pregnancy. This is called progesterone withdrawal bleeding. In the case of anovulation, there is no progesterone produced. Bleeding is caused by inability of oestrogen to support uterine inner lining growth. It is called oestrogen breakthrough bleeding.

If you want to get pregnant, it is important to make sure you ovulate.

Acupuncture can help regulate ovulation and irregular cycles to conceive

Why you should try cosmetic acupuncture to avoid plastic surgery

Our face changes or ages when we grow older. This change starts as early as in 30’s year old. This change not only happens on the surface of the skin, but also underneath the skin surface such as muscles. The skin becomes dry, dull, wrinkles, loose and sagging; the muscles are shortened and straightened; face, corners of the eyes and mouth droop; various spots and pigmentation appear on the face. The most common places to get wrinkles on the face are the forehead, around the eyes and around the mouth. Environmental factors can speed up aging process: such as hormonal imbalance, sun exposure, smoking, stress, diet, diseases etc. can make people look older than their age.

Facial acupuncture or cosmetic acupuncture is the acupuncture on the face for anti-aging purpose. Does it work? If you ask this question, you haven’t tried yet. Everyone who tried cosmetic acupuncture loved it. Recently, facial acupuncture has been introduced as an intervention for skin rejuvenation and becomes more and more popular. It is a natural and healthy way for anti-aging. What is the benefit of facial acupuncture? Facial acupuncture can eliminate wrinkles, moisturise facial skin, improve skin texture and colour, relax facial muscles, and decrease sagging skin, clear spots and pigmentation. Recently a research suggested that wrinkles were improved significantly after facial acupuncture treatment and facial elasticity was also improved in women. It is an alternative way to avoid plastic surgery, if you want to. Start early to get better results.

Why acupuncture on the face can play a role on cosmetic purpose? Acupuncture relaxes facial muscles and improves blood flow and microcirculation in the skin. Muscle relaxation unfolds the skin to reduce the wrinkles and lifts up the face. Good skin circulation takes waste away and reduces skin toxin; it provides more nutrients and oxygen to the skin. Acupuncture also stimulates the production of collagen and elastin in the skin, helps skin regeneration and increases skin elasticity.

Having wrinkles around the mouth? Acupuncture can help to reduce them.

Wrinkles are a part of the aging, you will find wrinkles appearing in different areas of your face like the forehead, around the eyes, and wrinkles around the mouth.

Wrinkles around mouth are also called perioral wrinkles, also known as barcode lines or smoker’s lines. They are the fine or deep vertical lines around the mouth and lips. These wrinkles are formed by contracting of the muscle around the mouth called orbicularis oris.

The orbicularis oris muscle is a complex of muscles in the lips that encloses the mouth. It consists of four independent quadrants that connects each other which gives it a look of circular. It blended in with other expression muscles on the face. When it contracts, it closes the mouth and puckers the lips creating vertical wrinkles around the mouth.

Acupuncture can help this muscle to relax and reduce the vertical wrinkles around the mouth.

Other wrinkles around the mouth

Smile Lines (nasolabial lines) – These are those lines that run from thebottom of the nose to the corners of the mouth.

Marionette lines – These are the vertical wrinkles that can be found at the corners of the mouth. These lines can give the face a downturned expression and make you look sadder, serious, or even angrier.

What is a recent research development about acupuncture on In vitro fertilization (IVF)?

There were many debates about the effect of acupuncture on IVF in the past decade. What is the recent view about this? A very recent research paper published is about the effects of acupuncture on the secondary outcomes of anxiety, and quality of life for women undergoing IVF: a randomised controlled trial. IVF treatment has a significant impact on women's quality of life and anxiety is common during IVF treatment. Some studies suggest acupuncture may reduce anxiety. This new study was to examine the effects of acupuncture compared with sham acupuncture on quality of life and anxiety for women undergoing an IVF cycle. Women were randomised to acupuncture or a sham acupuncture control group and three treatments were administered, the first treatment between day 6-8 of ovarian stimulation, and two treatments were given on the day of embryo transfer. 848 women were included, and 608 women underwent an embryo transfer, of which 526 (86%) received all three treatments. Women receiving acupuncture reported reduced anxiety following embryo transfer. The conclusion from this study is that acupuncture may reduce anxiety at embryo transfer.

References
Smith CA et al Acta Obstet Gynecol Scand. 2018 Dec 28. doi: 10.1111/aogs.13528. [Epub ahead of print]

Medial line of the body and energy circulation with acupuncture

The medial line (midsagittal plane) is on the midline and the central axis of the body, dividing the body vertically into right and left haves. On the back side, the medial line starts from the sagittal suture, the midline of the head, follows the spine to the tail bone. On the front side of the body, the medial line travels down from the sagittal suture of the head, breastbone, navel, and pubic bone. The line continues between the legs down to the ground without anatomic structure. Movements within the sagittal plane are flexion and extension – forward and backward movements of the head, spine, and limbs.

The sagittal suture is a dense, fibrous connective tissue joint between the two parietal bones of the skull.

Down to the back, the sagittal suture moves to the ligaments on the spine.

The nuchal ligament extends from the external occipital protuberance on the skull and median nuchal line to the spinous process of the seventh cervical vertebra in the lower part of the neck. It is the starts of the trapezius and splenius capitis muscles attached to the shoulder and the head separately.

Supraspinous ligament connects the tips of the spinous processes from the seventh cervical vertebra to the sacrum and is the continuous of nuchal ligament down to the spine. Part of the trapezius and latissimus dorsi start from this ligament and connect to the shoulder.

Spinal erectors are a group of muscles and tendons which run from the sacrum or sacral region to the base of the skull. They are paired lying on the left and right of the spine.

Down to the front, the sagittal suture moves to the frontal suture on the forehead. The frontal suture is a fibrous joint that divides the two halves of the frontal bone of the skull.

On the midline of the chest, it raises the pectoralis major and connects to the shoulder.

The white line in the medial line of the abdominal wall (linea alba) is a fibrous structure that runs down the midline of the abdomen from the xiphoid process to the pubic symphysis. It is formed by the fusion of the aponeuroses (deep fascia) of the abdominal muscles, it lies between the left and right rectus abdominis muscles.

The medial line tightness can create tension on the whole body blocking blood and energy circulation. Acupuncture can release tension and improve blood and energy circulation.

Having IVF? Acupuncture can help success

IVF with acupuncture support has higher live birth rate. The first report that acupuncture increased IVF success rate was from Stener-Victorin et al in 1999. They applied acupuncture before occytes collection. They found that women in acupuncture group had significantly higher implantation rate, pregnancy rate and live birth rate in IVF embryo transfer. Eric Manheimer et al did first systematic review published in BMJ to investigate the effects of acupuncture on pregnancy rates and live birth rates among women with infertility undergoing IVF. They analysed seven trials involved in 1366 women undergoing IVF. All trials were conducted in four different Western countries and published in English since 2002. In all trials, women received acupuncture immediately before or immediately after the embryo transfer. Clinical pregnancy, ongoing pregnancy and live birth rates were improved. There was no side effect found. Recently a new review found that there were 5 studies involved 463 women who were undergoing IVF. They were given acupuncture twice a week for 2 weeks during the controlled ovarian hyperstimulation period for IVF. The pregnant rate was higher in acupuncture group than that in control group for women undergoing IVF.

References

Manheimer E et al (2008) BMJ 8: 545-549

Feeling stressed? acupuncture can help

Stress is a part of every person's life. Research by the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment indicates that in 2015, 42.8% students reported more than average stress in the past 12 months, with 10.7% reported being under tremendous stress. Furthermore, 30% of college students reported that stress had negatively impacted academic performance, and 76% of students reported feeling overwhelmed with all they had to do. A research studied effectiveness of acupuncture in the perception of stress specifically in patients who study or work on a large urban college campus. All participants were allocated into two groups: acupuncture group ad control group. Each participant completed the Cohen's global measure of perceived stress questionnaire at five timepoints: prior to treatment, at 6 week treatment, at 12 weeks which is the completion of treatment, 6 weeks post completion, 3 months post completion of the treatment. There was no difference in mean stress score between acupuncture group and control group pretreatment. Significant improvement of the stress score was observed in acupuncture group started from 6 week treatment and last for 3 months when the study completed.

References

Stefanie Schroeder et al (2017) J Acupunct Meridian Stud 2017 Jun;10(3):165-170. doi: 10.1016/j.jams.2017.01.002. Epub 2017 Jan 16.

Neck spasm and sudden neck pain, acupuncture can help

Neck spasm occurs when the muscles in the neck contract involuntarily and sudden tightening of the muscles can cause severe pain. The pain come up suddenly. Other symptoms accompanied with the pain include problems moving the neck and shoulder, increased pain when moving the neck and shoulder, headaches, dizziness or tingling at the neck. Neck spasm can be caused by a few reasons: repeated or prolonged movements of the neck, sitting at one position for a long time, poor posture, turning suddenly while sleeping, carrying too much weight at one shoulder or one arm, cradling a handset against neck, stress, and dehydration.

One of the first muscles to cause headache and neck pain is trapezius. This is a broad triangular muscle at neck and upper back, one of the largest superficial muscles at the back. It attaches to the base of the skull and extends down to the neck, the upper back until mid back; laterally it inserts to the shoulder blades. There are three functional regions to the muscle: the Upper, middle, and lower trapezius, and each region has its own function: upper region moves the shoulder blades and support the arms; the middle region retracts the shoulder blades and the lower region rotates and depresses the shoulder blades.

Acupuncture can effectively release muscle spasm.

Seeking help from acupuncture for your anxiety

Anxiety is a feeling of unease, such as worry or fear. This feeling can be mild or severe. Everyone has feelings of anxiety at some point in their life, you may feel worried or anxious about something that is important such as job interview, exam etc. This is quite normal. However for some people their feelings of anxiety are constant and hard to control their worries which can affect their daily lives.

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD): is a condition that makes one to feel anxious about a wide range of situations and issues, rather than one specific event. People with GAD feel anxious most days and have difficulty to relax. The symptoms include feeling restless or worried, or anxious, having trouble to concentrate or sleep, dizziness, tension on the chest, or heart palpitations.

The exact cause of GAD isn't clear.

Research suggested that overactivity in areas of the brain involved in emotions and behaviour is one of the causes; an imbalance of the brain chemicals serotonin and noradrenaline, which are involved in the control and regulation of mood is also a possible cause.

Apart from taking medication from your doctors, tried acupuncture? You may be surprised how much acupuncture can help.

Irregular periods to get pregnant, acupuncture can help

After puberty, women usually have a regular menstrual cycle. Periods occur around the same time each month. These menstrual cycles last on average 28 days but can vary individually. However, there are many reasons why some women may experience irregular periods. Some women find that they have periods early or late in their menstrual cycle. Many medical conditions can affect women’s menstrual cycles. You need to see doctors to get it checked out if there is an underlying condition for the irregular periods. Hormonal changes can affect the periods: using hormonal contraception is a common cause. Unbalanced of the female sex hormones progesterone and oestrogen can also make your periods irregular. Stress and anxiety can also induce hormonal changes which can cause irregular periods. When the stress hormone cortisol is released by the body, it can have a direct effect on the levels of oestrogen and progesterone. Other factors cause irregular periods include polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and thyroid problems, extreme weight loss or weight gain, excessive exercise.

If you have irregular menstrual cycles and want to get pregnant, this could cause problems. This is because 1) it is hard to know ovulation time; 2) the eggs might not good enough in some cycles which reduce the chance to get pregnant. 3) the uterine lining might not develop well due to imbalanced hormones.

Acupuncture can help regular hormone to achieve balanced hormone and reduce stress to regular menstrual cycles to get pregnant.

Having hip pain? Acupuncture can help

One of my hip hurts so much and I am unable to walk without feeling a sharp and throbbing pain around the hip joint. I cannot stand on the leg without feeling hip pain and the pain also goes down to the thigh from the hip. This has been going on for a few days. The hip is a ball and socket joint. In the hip joint, the head of the femur (thighbone) swivels within the socket, made up of pelvic bones. The joint is surrounded by strong ligaments, tendons and muscles. Hip pain can be caused by the problem of the joint itself and/or sounding tissues. Any source of inflammation may cause pain in the hip area. Pain is one of the symptoms of inflammation, along with swelling, warmth, and redness. Inflammation and injury can trigger hip muscle spasm which also causes severe pain. There are four groups of hip muscles which are involved in hip movement.

The gluteal muscles include the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and tensor fasciae latae. The lateral rotator muscles include externus and internus obturators, the piriformis, the superior and inferior gemelli, and the quadratus femoris. The adductor muscles include the adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus, pectineus, and gracilis. The iliopsoas group include the iliacus and psoas major muscles.

Acupuncture can help release muscle spasm and release hip pain.

Having postpartum back pain? Acupuncture can help

The body goes through transformation during pregnancy and needs to change back to normal after delivery. Postpartum back pain is very common. For some women, back pain started during the pregnancy and continues after delivery.

Your body goes through quite a transformation during and after pregnancy. Your entire lifecycle changes while you are carrying a baby, be it your sleeping pattern, your posture, the way you walk, mood swings; and the list goes on!

This lower back pain after delivery can also hinder the recovery, making it difficult to move or even sit for long.

The main cause of back pain is hormones. Your body releases progesterone and relaxin hormones during pregnancy which relaxes the ligaments and joints of the pelvis, for easing out the baby during delivery. As these hormones stay with you for a few more months, the ligaments and joints need to return to normal. Changes of posture during pregnancy such as posture for sleeping, standing walking causes back pain and sudden changes after delivery. Putting on weight during pregnancy is extra work for the joints and muscles. The expansion of the uterus during pregnancy causes additional strain on the lower abdominal muscles and lower back. Pushing the baby out could strain muscles and ligaments. Sleepless nights post-delivery, bending, and lifting the baby frequently add extra stress to the back. Incorrect posture while breastfeeding the baby can cause stress on the lower back muscles. Additional physically strenuous work during or after pregnancy could a contributor to the back pain.

It takes almost six months for your body to settle in and for the relaxin hormones to subside in the body, so by then usually your back pain should recede. If not, you need to seek help to get rid of the back pain. Acupuncture can help reduce postpartum back pain.

Wind exposure can damage the skin, facial acupuncture can help skin repairing

We all know that sun exposure can damage the skin. Do you know wind and chill can damage the skin too? The body gives off a layer of heat that protects the skin from cold temperatures. A strong wind can blow this layer away from the skin, taking away this natural defence to the cold. As the wind increases, the body is cooled at a faster rate causing the skin temperature to drop. Exposure to wind and chill can cause windburn and frostbite. Being exposed to below zero wind chills can induce frostbite within five minutes. While wind chills below minus 20 degrees can result in frostbite within a minute of exposure. The affected skin and tissue go numb. It’s most likely to strike the fingers or toes, ears, cheeks, chin, or nose. The exposure can lead to severe damage.

Other conditions related to wind and chill.

Chilblains is a condition in which the small blood vessels in the skin is inflamed after being exposed to cold. These clusters of small blood vessels get red, itchy, and swell or blister. Patches usually appear on your fingers, toes, ears, and cheeks. Wearing layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing can trap air between the layers to insulate you. For dry and cracked skin, apply of cream can help to moisturise the skin.

Facial acupuncture can help damaged skin on the face repairing.

Having endometriosis? Acupuncture can help

Endometriosis is a condition in which endometrial cells grow outside of uterus. These misplaced tissues are mostly found on the ovaries and fallopian tubes and in the pelvic cavity etc. These cells respond to the ovaries hormonal cycles each month, but are inseparable from the tissues, which cause scarring and adhesions. Endometriosis does not always produce symptoms. When it does, it mainly causes pain, irregular menstrual bleeding and infertility. Many women experience period pain, intercourse pain and pelvic pain which is unrelated to menstruation and intercourse. Irregular menstruation, excessive bleeding and clot are common. About 50% infertile women suffer from endometriosis. There are different treatments available, such as pain relief, hormonal treatments and surgery etc. Some women may benefit from alternative medical treatments. Acupuncture reduces pain by producing endorphins. Acupuncture is proven an effective complementary management for endometriosis in patients with infertility. Acupuncture improves local circulation, balances hormonal levels, reduces inflammation and improves immune function. Recent studies showed that the ectopic tissues were reduced and the invasion of ectopic tissue to extracellular matrix was inhibited. The symptoms such as period pain, irregular menstruation and chronic pelvic pain in endometriosis were significantly improved.

References
Zhou and Qu. Afr.J.Trad. CAM (2009) 6: 494-517

Having jaw pain and jaw tightness? acupuncture can help.

Many people experience jaw pain from time to time. Stressed jaw joints are one of the reasons. The symptoms can include jaw pain and jaw muscle tightness, this can be mild or intense aching, throbbing or tender. Chewing or yawning can worsen the symptoms. Tension or tenderness can be felt on one or both sides of the face and this pain and tension can also affect the nose, mouth, and ears. The neck muscles connect to the lower jaw, so pain and tension can radiate down to the neck and shoulder and up to the head causing headaches. Jaw movement can be limited. Toothaches and earache can also be accompanied with the jaw pain and tension. Stress is one of the causes including emotional and physical stress. Jaw can be clenched and tightened when experiencing stress, anxiety or anger. Grinding teeth at sleep can also cause jaw pain and tension. Poor posture, neck pain and headaches can also lead to jaw pain and tension. Acupuncture is an effective way to release jaw pain and jaw tension.