Acupuncture and in particular Chinese Medicine is a proven technique for increasing conception rates.   Massachusetts is one of 16 states that require insurance companies to cover ART (Assisted Reproductive Technologies) which is a cost we all incur.  The cost for a single IVF cycle is at minimum $10,000.  The goal of ARTs is to have a baby, but ignores the health of the mother and father.     Read the rest of this entry

PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) is a female endocrine disorder where too much androgen hormone (testosterone) is being made in relations to estrogen. It affects up to 10% of all women. It is thought that improper insulin regulation is a common cause and shows up in girls as young as 9 years old through post menopausal women. PCOS is one of the main causes of infertility, but PCOS is a symptom of an underlying endocrine imbalance not the reason for the infertility.

Common symptoms of PCOS include:

• Irregular or no menstrual periods (for women of reproductive age)
• Irregular ovulation, with or without monthly bleeding
• Acne
• Excess hair growth on the face and body
• Thinning scalp hair
• Accumulation of un-ruptured follicles on the periphery of the ovaries (mislabeled as “cysts”, often called polycystic ovaries)

It is not necessary to have all of these symptoms to have PCOS. In fact it is not necessary to have “polycystic ovaries” to have PCOS. PCOS manifests itself differently in each woman.

I believe that Chinese Medicine is the best medicine on the planet to deal with PCOS and any hormonal imbalances. Using acupuncture, herbs and nutrition we can regulate the hormonal levels sometimes within a few cycles.

There have been a couple of recent studies which show what has been known clinically for 2000 years. Below are some of the articles written about the studies:

• Acupuncture and Exercise Relieve PCOS In this 16 week study from 2009 the once a week acupuncture group had fewer menstrual irregularities and a significant drop in testosterone. Here is another article regarding this study.
• Acupuncture relieves PCOS better than exercise alone - In this similar study to the one above the acupuncture group had more menstrual regulation and a higher drop in testosterone than the exercise group.

In addition these studies only used acupuncture and exercise. There was no dietary intervention or herbal medicine used as treatment. Once we add in these modalities the success rate increases dramatically!

So if you have been diagnosed with PCOS absolutely consider using Chinese Medicine as a treatment modality.

Yours In Health,

George Mandler CNS LDN LicAc

During pregnancy there are several supplements that show clear benefit in addition to a healthy non-junk food diet:  Vitamin D, Fish Oils (prefer high DHA) and probiotics.

Here are a few articles posted in the past about the benefits of probiotics during pregnancy:

• Reduce infant dermatitis
• Reduce atopic dermatitis
• Reduces incidences of eczema
• Given to infants it can reduce colic

A recent literature review of probiotics during pregnancy evaluated all the gold standard studies which means they are double-blind, placebo controlled.    What they found was that probiotics given during pregnancy reduced the incidence of eczema in their children from ages 2-7 years old.   What is interested is that it was only for the lactobacillus genus and not other strains such as bifidobacteria or products that contained a mixture of strains. Read the rest of this entry

Given all the research about pesticide dangers and diseases it has been attributed to such as Parkinson’s it still amazes me that foods grown with chemicals still make up the vast majority of foods consumed. This is probably largely due to the fact that chemical companies have a ton of money and political lobbyists. The vast majority of commercial farmers only know the way of the past 60 years and are of the false belief that organic farming is out of their reach. Not only are we exposed to pesticides from foods, but also those nice green lawns. Read the rest of this entry

The definition of Recurrent Pregnancy Loss is three or more miscarriages prior to 20 weeks gestation. However even one miscarriage takes it emotional toll. Even though the statistical chances of carrying a baby to term are much more favorable than having another miscarriage it is probably better to take the necessary preventative health steps before trying to conceive again. In Chinese Medicine and Functional Medicine recurrent miscarriage shows that there is an underlying imbalance, either with the mother or father. This imbalance is a reason the pregnancy is not taking hold and should be corrected. Yes if your only goal is to have a baby then you can use IVF. But for the sake of the baby’s health and your health during pregnancy and postpartum it is wise to correct the underlying imbalance before getting pregnant.

The cause of miscarriage are multifaceted. Read the rest of this entry

A recent study showed that uterine lining health may be more important than egg quality in creating a healthy birth weight baby and carrying to term. (Click here for the Time article about this published research). This was a large study out of Baylor that reviewed over 300,000 IVF cycles with specific interest in birth weight and gestation. What they found was that IVF cycles that stimulated the uterus (which is the majority) had lower birth weight and less chance of carrying to term than ones that were unstimulated such as donor egg, surrogate or frozen transfer.

Read the rest of this entry

There are a plethora of studies showing the benefits of probiotics during second and third trimesters of pregnancy. One of the supplements I always recommend during pregnancy are probiotics.   Research has shown they are particularly important in the latter stages of pregnancy. Read the rest of this entry

Acupuncture reduces crying in infants with infantile colic: a randomised, controlled, blind clinical study.

Landgren K, Kvorning N, Hallström I.

1Department of Health Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.

For many years I’ve strongly recommended to my perinatal patients that they take a high dose DHA fish oil supplement. DHA is docosahexaenoic acid found in fatty fish which is one of the beneficial longer chain fatty acids we get from fish – the other being EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid). I’m not sure where I first learned of the benefits of DHA for the brain and using it during pregnancy, but it makes sense given the plethora of research on its neurological benefits.

I had my wife take a high DHA fish oil throughout pregnancy and 2 years of breast feeding. The proof is in the pudding as our child will be attending Harvard next fall. He is only 2 years old.
Read the rest of this entry