I spent a week in Palm Springs where I attended the Pacific Coast reproductive Society conference. I always come back so inspired after spending time with those in search of truth of deeper knowledge in their field of medicine.
Although this was a western medical infertility conference they had invited 6 acupuncturists from around the world to lecture on the role of TCM in treating infertility. Your TCM representatives at this conference were myself (Canada), Jane Lyttleton (Australia) Jani White (United Kingdon) and four Americans; Diane Cridennda, Dana Price, Caylie See and Brandon Horn. I know some of these talks have been posted on CMT so please do take a moment to hear what was expressed at the conference. Each talk was between 30-45 minutes. I returned home to my practice at Acubalance full of greater respect for our medicine and renewed optimism of what we can offer patients seeking out fertility treatments.
It was interesting to witness how we all had a common message to share with the reproductive endocrinologist even though we never met before hand or planned it this way. But the main points I got out of listening to my colleagues speak about TCM and its role in treating fertility were as follows:
1. Pre conception care is the strength of what we can offer couples. Offering two treatments on the day of IVF transfer to improve pregnancy rates is impressive but we are more impressive when we treat the couple for about 4 months before trying to conceive or undergoing an IVF.
2. Herbal medicine is a very important modality when treating infertility
3. TCM and Western medicine both have mapped out the human being. TCM’s map is complete having 20 centuries to map out is understanding of the human being, Western Medicine is still working on its map and therefore it changes often with each new discovery and study.
Have you ever noticed that in the last decade that many of the current studies are actually confirming what Chinese medicine had documented several centuries ago? If you look at some the studies Daniel Goleman quotes in his books Emotional Intelligence or Social Intelligence you will find that western science has finally documented the link between mind and body. I know this may have not made it to clinical doctors working in hospitals and IVF clinics. But you can feel confident that modern science no longer disputes this issue and your thought sand emotions can impact your physical body and vise versa.
During my presentation at the conference I brought up how we believe according to Chinese medicine that we can improve egg quality in some cases. I made this conclusion based on how we view the menses as an outer manifestation of essence. And also how infertility can be a result a lack of nourishment of the Uterus (reproductive organs) from a Jing (essence) depletion or due to something obstructing the flow of essence to the uterus. As you can imagine, my suggestion that we can help improve egg quality was received as truism. Currently, the western map says that a woman has all of her eggs before birth and you cannot add to it and the quality of eggs only reduces with aging >35. But I actually saw some signs that the western map is starting to change in this area (new studies) and as you may expected it is changing to confirm what Chinese medicine already has documented about infertility and egg quality. There was poster that described how women around 35 with high FSH are often incorrectly categorized as premature ovarian failure. They are presumed to have as similar poor egg quality as those women in their 40’s with high FSH. But in their study they noted that in these women in their 30’s they actually have only pockets of eggs that are poor in quality and there are still many pockets of good quality eggs. They believe there is some mechanism happening within the ovary that is destroying some of the pockets of follicles. They mentioned it may be a destructive process to the mitochondria of the egg (ATP production is liken to Qi). To me this is the same description of we look at infertility in TCM, just different language. We understand that you cannot replenish pre heaven essence. This is what you are bestowed upon at birth and you have a lifetime to conserve and protect your congenital essence. So we agree with part of the western map that you are born with all the eggs at birth and after puberty you lose eggs every month and the decline in quality begins to speed up 7X5=35 and even greater decline at 7X6=42 until you can no longer bare children at 7X7=49. Just like western medicine, we agree fertility declines at age 35 (yang Ming weakens) we agree with part of their map about egg quality and age. It is likely that a woman of 43 to be Jing deficient and no longer able to bare children. Remembering we cannot add to pre haven essence, only post heaven. This poster is describing a new reason for high FSH and fertility issues in 35 year olds that confirms what TCM has documented as another mechanism other than malnourishment and lack of enrichment of the uterus by essence. It is unlikely for a 35 year old to have depleted her Kidney essence. Usually it is the case that there is a blockage/obstruction to the free flow of the QI, Blood and essence to and through the uterus. I am thinking that the mechanism they describe as a destructive process of eggs going on inside the ovaries is what we describe as infertility caused by one of the patterns of Liver Qi stagnation, Blood stasis, cold uterus, Damp heat and phlegm damp.
I am curious… any other current scientific studies that confirm what Chinese medicine has documented over the last 20 centuries? It does not have to be just on infertility. Please share on this thread other literature that supports what our medicine documents to be true though centuries of practice and observation.
Joined: 2007-05-08