Chinese medicine has been used for many decades to treat every sort of ailment and disease and it has been a long time coming in taking off in the UK but now every High Street worth its salt has a Chinese medical practitioner and so they should.
I am a big fan of conventional medicine, as where would we be without it? All the diseases we have cures for now and all the medicines that still work so effectively against many ailments and off course we are an ageing population which is proof in itself that conventional medicine is doing something right. I am a true believer in medical advancement and I do not know a single soul who hasn't benefited from it. So there. The obvious has been stated. However, it's the less obvious that I'm interested in. The things that are slow on the uptake for whatever reason.
Complementary medicine for one has been slow because conventional doctors are often scared of the unknown and stuck in their ways, not always, of course, but often and more importantly drug companies would prefer to do a roaring trade than to be usurped by a plain and simple needle! It's the way of world. Commercialism and resistance to change. but change happens. One way or another it forces its way. As time goes on and human disease becomes more resistant to new medicines, as scientists discover new ways and means and push to be heard- regenerative medicine for example - something that I am a big fan of and stem cell treatments. They are the future, whether they come sooner or later, they will eventually take over.
Looking back in history to Chinese medicine we have found a treatment of the future. Now researchers have found it can also boost fertility if used in combination with fertility treatments. Dr Levi-Ari and his team in Tel Aviv University in Israel, a country at the forefront of fertility treatment, found that when combining fertility treatment (IUI) with Chinese acupuncture 65.5% of their test group conceived compared to 39.4% who did not have the acupuncture alongside.
The test group also received Chinese herbal medicine alongside the acupuncture. Acupuncture is also supposed to release endorphins and other helpful chemical substances which can balance the body and stimulate its own healing power.
Why am I telling you this? Well, simply because I was a success story too. Thanks to the highly qualified team at An Kang on Chamberlayne Road in the trendy Kensal Rise, we have a baby Alexander! Theory behind it includes the possibility that herbal remedies and acupuncture can affect the ovulation and menstrual cycle and enhance blood flow to the uterus. I had a very stressful career in the City and could never relax and so I was also treated for stress which is often a reason for infertility.
Along with my IVF treatment, every week, twice a week for a month I went to have eight or nine tiny needles effortlessly and expertly (painlessly) flicked into different parts of my body. Then the ones on my tummy were warmed with an overhead heater whilst the ones on my head were attached to a little machine which made then gently vibrate, a motion replicating that of a practitioners hand putting slight pressure on the needles in order for them to work more effectively. Every treatment I would drift off to sleep with a warm cosy tummy and in a relaxed state of bliss. I was also given some pills to take. Little black ones, morning and night which were to help warm my uterus!
So, the moral of the story is to do your own research, think for yourself and think outside the box and yes, acupuncture does work!