Traditional Chinese medicine can treat a wide range of health concerns and has been used effectively throughout the world in treating many women’s health conditions. TCM can also be used as a preventative treatment to help maintain optimum health. Acupuncture has a long standing reputation for it's effectiveness in treating all kinds of menstrual problems, ranging from PMT though to helping to turn a breech baby. Our acupuncturists are very experienced in treating women's heath.

See below for information about: Pregnancy, Childbirth, IVF, Fertility, Endometriosis, PCOS, Period Pain, PMS, Menopause.

In Pregnancy Acupuncture can:

Relieve nausea & sickness, Increase energy levels & help with tiredness, Help digestive problems, Relieve pain & discomfort, Correct breech position of the baby , Induce labour   (if necessary).

In Childbirth Acupuncture can:

Promote a labour that progresses smoothly, increase the efficiency of contractions, Help the mother cope with labour pains, Calm anxiety and distress & boost energy, Induce delivery of the placenta if necessary, Stop excessive blood loss. Afterwards Acupuncture can: Promote milk production, Reduce after-pains, Help with moods swings, Alleviate post-natal depression , Reduce tiredness , Encourage the healing process

Acupuncture and IVF - The success rates for IVF conception to occur are usually between 20-30% depending on the clinic. In several recent studies in Germany, a 26% success rate was achieved for women receiving no acupuncture, while a 43% success rate was achieved by those receiving acupuncture. Published Research

Fertility focused acupuncture treatment has been found to increase blood flow to the reproductive organs, balance hormone levels, regulate the menstrual cycle and help improve the lining of the uterus and quality of eggs released. Additionally, conditions such as polycystic ovaries and endometriosis have also been shown to improve with this sort of treatment. Benefits to male fertility have also been found with positive effects on sperm count, morphology and mobility. As trying to conceive can often be a stressful experience, many find that undergoing a course of acupuncture reduces associated problems such as anxiety, stress and insomnia and helps to improve the chances of pregnancy by improving well being in general. More

Endometriosis
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been used to manage associated symptoms of endometriosis for the last 3, 000 to 4, 000 years. Even though endometriosis was not clearly diagnosed until recent times, Chinese Medicine has been used to treat its symptoms such as pelvic pain, irregular menstruation, pain during intercourse, intestinal irregularity, low back pain, infertility and other related symptoms and conditions. Chinese Medicine has achieved growing popularity in America as a cost-effective medical system without side effects. There are many treatment modalities within this system. Acupuncture, electroacupuncture, moxibustion, herbal dietary, Qi Gong and Tuina massage therapies are the commonly utilized methods in the treatment of endometriosis and pelvic conditions.
In a study published in the December 2002 issue of The Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine researchers selected 67 women diagnosed with dysmenorrhea (painful periods) due to endometriosis. Half of this group received acupuncture. It was reported that 81% of these women had less painful periods after receiving the acupuncture treatments. Researchers speculate that acupuncture promotes blood circulation and regulates the endocrine system. They also suggest that acupuncture could act as an analgesic by elevating levels of endorphins in the blood.

PCOS Polycystic ovary syndrome
Acupuncture improves ovulation in some women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a Swedish study has found.
PCOS is a complex hormonal disturbance in which women do not ovulate regularly, and their ovaries produce excessive quantities of male hormones, such as testosterone. To achieve pregnancy, women with PCOS must often have their ovaries stimulated, usually with fertility drugs. In addition, they often need long-term treatment to decrease their risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, or cancer of the uterus. But these treatments often bring unwanted side effects.
The study, whose results were published in the journal Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, involved 24 PCOS patients between the ages of 24 and 40 whose menstrual periods were absent or irregular. Of the 24 women, 38% experienced a "good effect," which was defined as repeated ovulations or pregnancy during the treatment period or the three months after treatment. The number of ovulations per woman increased during and after the treatments.

Helping yourself - PCOS
The two most important key factors that any woman could do to lower her risk of PCOS is to
eat heart-healthy, low glycemic foods
engage in regular carbohydrate burning exercise – particularly before breakfast for optimum calorific usage.
Foods to avoid:
-Cut out all forms of refined sugar
-Cut out all refined (simple) carbohydrates. Follow the Full Spectrum Diet. This says to cut out all white foods, which include all white bread, rice, pasta, low fiber foods, most breakfast cereals and rice cakes.
-Reduce animal products and fats
-Avoid all soda, fruit juice and sugary drinks
-Avoid milk and dairy products
-Avoid alcohol and caffeine
-Avoid fertility diets that suggest you eat large amounts of yams. This is not appropriate for PCOS
-Reduce the intake of oily, fried, and sugary foods, fried snacks and fast foods
-Do not miss meals; and do not starve in terms of total quantity of food
Foods to include in you diet:
-Eat adequate amounts of protein
-Eat as much fresh vegetables as you can
-Eat foods, which nourish the liver such as dark green vegetables, lemons, carrots and beets
-Eat fruit light in sugar and sweetness such as berries
-Eat complex carbohydrates (lower glycemic carbohydrates), which tend to have more fiber such as bran cereal, brown rice, whole wheat, whole-grains and nuts and grains like quinoa, whole oats, and bulgur.
These foods help women with PCOS to maintain steady blood sugar and insulin levels and may assist in weight loss. A diet composed of mainly low-GI foods will also help to combat the effects of insulin resistance.

Period pain
The US National Institutes of Health recommend acupuncture as either a supplemental or alternative treatment for dysmennorhea (painful period). This recommendation is supported by a well-designed trial involving 43 women with dysmenorrhea. Women treated with acupuncture showed a dramatic reduction in both pain and the need for pain medication
Acupuncture has become a popular treatment for dysmenorrhea, we treat people with dysmenorrhea based on an individualized assessment of the excesses and deficiencies of energy (called qi) located in various meridians. In the case of dysmenorrhea, a qi deficiency is usually detected in the liver and spleen meridians. Moxibustion (a technique in which the herb mugwort is burned over specific acupuncture points) is often added to enhance needling treatment.
Acupressure and Tui’na massage is also effective at reducing the pain. A study of 216 female students found that acupressure and ibuprofen were significantly better than a placebo, or “dummy pill,” at reducing pain.
Research into dysmenorrhoea (period pain), reviewed in ‘Reproductive Toxicology’ (Volume 17, 2002,) found that ‘the proportion of women whose average pain scores were halved after treatment was significantly higher in the real acupuncture group’.

PMS
Recent research published November 2002, in the ‘Archive of Obstetrics and Gynecology’, concluded that 77.8% women receiving acupuncture for symptoms of PMS (including anxiety, phobic disorders, premenstrual headache, mastalgia, insomnia, nausea and gastrointestinal problems) had a significant success rate, whereas only 5.9% in the placebo group benefited from treatment.

Menopause
Acupuncture relieves the most common symptoms of menopause primarily by regulating the drastic changes in hormone levels women experience during menopause. This leads to a significant decline in hot flushes and an increase in energy, appetite and sense of well-being without the harsh side-effects of hormone replacement therapy.
We can help you:
Significantly Reduce hot flushes
Overcome fatigue and insomnia
Improve symptoms of depression
Increase your appetite
Improve your body's circulation and cardio-pulmonary functions
Regulate menstruation
Relieve aches and pains