Your reproductive endocrinologist will not want you to take herbs when you are trying to conceive.
This speaks well of your reproductive endocrinologist because he or she doesn't know anything about herbs and therefore is afraid that they may be harmful to you or to your cycle. He or she has your best interest in mind; they are trying to protect you.
As I am sure that you are aware, there are many acupuncturists/herbalists who don't want you to take Western reproductive medicine. This speaks well of your acupuncturist/herbalist because he or she doesn't know anything about Western medicine and therefore is afraid that they may be harmful to you or to your cycle. He or she has your best interest in mind; they are trying to protect you.
"What we think we know prevents us from learning."
Western reproductive medicine when prescribed by a trained expert is completely safe. I am not aware of any deaths occurring as a result of taking reproductive medicine nor am I aware of an increase in cancer risk when using reproductive medicine within the appropriate guide-lines.
Herbal medicine when prescribed by a trained expert is completely safe. I am not aware of any deaths occurring as a result of taking herbal medicine nor am I aware of an increase in cancer risk when using herbal medicine within the appropriate guide-lines.
Reproductive endocrinologists are experts in a field of medicin, the aim of which is to assist infertile couples to start or grow their families.
Acupuncturists/herbalist who specialize in the treatment of complementary reproductive medicine are experts in a field of medicine, the aim of which is to assist infertile couples to start or grow their families.
"What we think we know prevents us from learning." What reproductive endocrinologists think they know is that herbs are not safe. It is this closed-minded ignornace that keeps them from learning the truth which is that herbal medicine has been used for more than 2500 years to help infertile patients start or grow their families.
"What we think we know prevents us from learning." What acupuncturists/herbalists think they know is that Western reproductive medicine is not safe. It is this closed-minded ignornace that keeps them from learning the truth which is that Western reproductive medicine since it's inception has been responsible for the birth of approximately three million babies.
What reproductive endocrinologists and acupuncturists/herbalists who specilize in complementary reproductive medicine need to learn is that when any medicine is provided to a patient by an expert in their field that expert should be respected and trusted unless there is a reason not to.
What reproductive endocrinologists and acupuncturists/herbalist who specilize in complementary reproductive medicine need to learn is that by combining both modalities of intervention outcomes are improved and patient satisfaction is met or exceeded.
If you are interested in seeking treatment from an acupuncturist/herbalist who has advanced training in complementary reproductive medicine please visit http://www.aborm.org
This way you will know that you are being cared for by an expert in the field of complementary reproductive medicine.
Until the field of reproductive medicine embraces an East meets West approach to care, patients will not be as successful as they could be.
I propose to acupuncturists/herbalists who specialize in complementary reproductive medicine that you try and learn as much as you can about Western reproductive medicine so your ignorance will be destroyed by the light that comes from the acquisition of knowledge.
I propose to reproductive endocrinologists that you try and learn as much as you can about herbal medicine so your ignorance will be destroyed by the light that comes from the acquisition of knowledge.
We all seek the same thing: to help infertile couples start or grow their families.
It is through potentiating the power of our respective modalities of intervention that service to our respective patients will be improved.
Potentiation may be achieved by working together as a team.
Let's leave our egos where they belong: in the void; lets join forces so that together we can facilitate improved outcomes and more effectively serve our patients.
Saturday, March 27
Friday, March 26
A new poem...'Blues'
alone. blues biting at my bones
cold and hard and taking me for all I’m for
i wipe the blues to the dusty floor
whole now and stronger too
present and fully accounted for
in transition from blue to renew
free again. and reborn too
Mike Berkley
cold and hard and taking me for all I’m for
i wipe the blues to the dusty floor
whole now and stronger too
present and fully accounted for
in transition from blue to renew
free again. and reborn too
Mike Berkley
Thursday, March 25
New Protocols for Pregnant Patients
You’re Pregnant. Congratulations! Now What?
I have developed three separate protocols for women who are pregnant.
The first thing to be aware of is that any pregnant patient is always at risk for miscarriage.
The Miscarriage Prevention Protocol
I treat my pregnant patients’ twice weekly with acupuncture. Additionally, I prescribe special miscarriage prevention herbs. You are under my care for thirteen weeks. The reasoning behind this is statistically sound: 90% of miscarriages occur within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The use of acupuncture and herbal medicine assists in preventing miscarriage that is not due to chromosomal anomalies. One reason for miscarriage other than aneuploidy (chromosomal problems), is lack of blood flow to the embryo and then, later on, to the placenta. Acupuncture and herbal medicine addresses this issue by stimulating blood flow first to the embryo, and then, later on, to the placenta, ensuring proper delivery of oxygen and nutrition to the developing fetus.
Another reason for miscarriage is that sometimes the body attacks the embryo or the placenta. This occurs when women have certain types of autoimmune disorders. As acupuncture and herbal medicine are frequently able to regulate immune function, these women’s pregnancies are often saved due to the inclusion of acupuncture and herbs.
The Healthy Mom/Healthy Baby Protocol
Under this method of care you are treated throughout your entire pregnancy at the frequency of once weekly and you will also take herbs. The purpose of this protocol is to help maintain your health during pregnancy and to assist in avoidance of possible complications such as pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, gestational diabetes, hyperemesis gravidarum (severe vomiting), etc. Further, the acupuncture and herbal medicine will serve to deliver more blood and more oxygen to your growing baby helping to ensure a beautiful, healthy and well developed child.
The Recovery Protocol
Post partum bleeding, swelling (edema) sweating, lack of energy, depression, weight gain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and lower back pain are not uncommon after delivery.
Through the proper use of acupuncture and herbal medicine, relief may frequently be found for these issues. I typically treat post-partum patients with any of these complaints for a period of two to four months at the frequency of two treatments per week.
I have developed three separate protocols for women who are pregnant.
The first thing to be aware of is that any pregnant patient is always at risk for miscarriage.
The Miscarriage Prevention Protocol
I treat my pregnant patients’ twice weekly with acupuncture. Additionally, I prescribe special miscarriage prevention herbs. You are under my care for thirteen weeks. The reasoning behind this is statistically sound: 90% of miscarriages occur within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
The use of acupuncture and herbal medicine assists in preventing miscarriage that is not due to chromosomal anomalies. One reason for miscarriage other than aneuploidy (chromosomal problems), is lack of blood flow to the embryo and then, later on, to the placenta. Acupuncture and herbal medicine addresses this issue by stimulating blood flow first to the embryo, and then, later on, to the placenta, ensuring proper delivery of oxygen and nutrition to the developing fetus.
Another reason for miscarriage is that sometimes the body attacks the embryo or the placenta. This occurs when women have certain types of autoimmune disorders. As acupuncture and herbal medicine are frequently able to regulate immune function, these women’s pregnancies are often saved due to the inclusion of acupuncture and herbs.
The Healthy Mom/Healthy Baby Protocol
Under this method of care you are treated throughout your entire pregnancy at the frequency of once weekly and you will also take herbs. The purpose of this protocol is to help maintain your health during pregnancy and to assist in avoidance of possible complications such as pre-eclampsia, eclampsia, gestational diabetes, hyperemesis gravidarum (severe vomiting), etc. Further, the acupuncture and herbal medicine will serve to deliver more blood and more oxygen to your growing baby helping to ensure a beautiful, healthy and well developed child.
The Recovery Protocol
Post partum bleeding, swelling (edema) sweating, lack of energy, depression, weight gain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and lower back pain are not uncommon after delivery.
Through the proper use of acupuncture and herbal medicine, relief may frequently be found for these issues. I typically treat post-partum patients with any of these complaints for a period of two to four months at the frequency of two treatments per week.
Thursday, March 11
IVF & Acupuncture -repsonse to new challenge to efficacy
It's a Meta Analysis of already published RCT's on Acupuncture/IVF. I'm sure that it includes the "usual suspects", i.e. the same RCT's or at lest most of the ones, that have been looked at in the previous Meta Analysis, i.e. Mannheimer, etc. What's curious of course, is how different PI's can look at the same RCT's for Meta Analysis, and come out of the number crunching with vastly different conclusions.
This has to do with the fact that the strength of any given Meta Analysis relates to the homogeneity of the RCT's looked at within it. Because the published RCT's in Acupuncture and IVF are not very homogeneous in terms of their inclusion criteria, exclusion criteria, controls, STRICTA guidelines, etc., it is very difficult to say for sure whether or not their is a positive, negative, or no effect from Acupuncture in IVF patients. Even Professor Adam Balen (co-author of one of the ABORM Reference Texts (Balen and Jacobs) noted, " patients needed to be aware of the lack of evidence on acupuncture and herbs before signing up to a course of treatment.There was a a great deal of discrepancy, he added, in the way in which the trials were designed and the type of acupuncture used".
Dr. Balen goes on to say, "Any future randomised controlled trials in this area need to ensure that they use a standardised acupuncture method, have a large sample size and include adequate controls to account for any placebo effects".
Therein lies the "rub". Acupuncture is notoriously difficult to control or blind for, and both placebo acupuncture (fake acupuncture needles in real acupoints), and sham acupuncture (real acupuncture needles in "sham" off-channel points) are undoubtedly not inert controls, and therefore the outcomes are muddy.
Perhaps the greatest insight - and one that might point a motivation for this Meta Analysis - was the quote, "But this sometimes comes at a cost which could buy a couple a further cycle of IVF"
Let's face it, there is increasing competition among REI's for patients as the field has increased in number, so any non-conventional therapy or treatment that might compete with that revenue source is going to put under the microscope.
Ray Rubio, DAOM, L. Ac. (FABORM)
President/ABORM
Reproductive Medicine Department Chair/Yo San University DAOM Program
Westlake Complementary Medicine
910 Hampshire Road, Suite A
Westlake Village, CA 91361
Phone: (805) 497-1335
FAX: (805) 497-1336
email: rtoo@earthlink.net
This has to do with the fact that the strength of any given Meta Analysis relates to the homogeneity of the RCT's looked at within it. Because the published RCT's in Acupuncture and IVF are not very homogeneous in terms of their inclusion criteria, exclusion criteria, controls, STRICTA guidelines, etc., it is very difficult to say for sure whether or not their is a positive, negative, or no effect from Acupuncture in IVF patients. Even Professor Adam Balen (co-author of one of the ABORM Reference Texts (Balen and Jacobs) noted, " patients needed to be aware of the lack of evidence on acupuncture and herbs before signing up to a course of treatment.There was a a great deal of discrepancy, he added, in the way in which the trials were designed and the type of acupuncture used".
Dr. Balen goes on to say, "Any future randomised controlled trials in this area need to ensure that they use a standardised acupuncture method, have a large sample size and include adequate controls to account for any placebo effects".
Therein lies the "rub". Acupuncture is notoriously difficult to control or blind for, and both placebo acupuncture (fake acupuncture needles in real acupoints), and sham acupuncture (real acupuncture needles in "sham" off-channel points) are undoubtedly not inert controls, and therefore the outcomes are muddy.
Perhaps the greatest insight - and one that might point a motivation for this Meta Analysis - was the quote, "But this sometimes comes at a cost which could buy a couple a further cycle of IVF"
Let's face it, there is increasing competition among REI's for patients as the field has increased in number, so any non-conventional therapy or treatment that might compete with that revenue source is going to put under the microscope.
Ray Rubio, DAOM, L. Ac. (FABORM)
President/ABORM
Reproductive Medicine Department Chair/Yo San University DAOM Program
Westlake Complementary Medicine
910 Hampshire Road, Suite A
Westlake Village, CA 91361
Phone: (805) 497-1335
FAX: (805) 497-1336
email: rtoo@earthlink.net
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