Quite a few people are becoming curious about the relationship between acupuncture and fertility. In fact, acupuncture is now the most in demand infertility treatment in the alternative health marketplace. But what is acupuncture, what can you get out of it as a treatment for infertility and does it honestly work? These are points that are worthy of some consideration before you go searching for an acupuncturist to treat you.
Acupuncture and fertility have long been connected in Chinese medicine. This Far Eastern system of health treatments is built upon the opinion that the body is comprised of energy channels or meridians which make it possible for energy to circulate around the body. These meridians may become blocked, triggering imbalances which then cause health complications.
Acupuncturists usually use extremely thin needles inserted into these meridians at certain points to clear away the blockages, allowing the energy to move freely once again and, if successful, revitalizing the body to its normal healthy state. Occasionally, as an alternative to needles they will burn moxa on those points, creating a sensation of heat which can have the exact same effect.
Even so how are acupuncture and fertility connected? Well, some studies have indicated this treatment as being helpful in many cases of infertility in both men and women. The issue is that nobody knows exactly how it works in scientific terms. This means that doctors and insurance companies are reluctant to accept it as a genuine treatment for fertility. It is not enough for them to know that it works with many people – they really want to see confirmation of how it works.
One of the arguments used by insurance companies for not paying for acupuncture costs is that the effects may not be direct. Their viewpoint is that acupuncture and related alternative health treatments work by loosening up the body, making the person feel better and cutting down stress and anxiety.
Stress is a contributory factor in many occurrences of infertility. You just need to consider all the cases of people who were trying frantically for a baby without being successful, and after several years they stopped trying – and unexpectedly conceived. Stress is a vicious circle because being stressed about getting pregnant will generally can make it more difficult to conceive. Oftentimes, getting pregnant is just one of those things where the harder you try, the harder it is.
However if reducing stress is the only reason acupuncture can be successful as a fertility treatment, then it is unclear why it is so in demand. There are many other techniques of stress reduction which should be equally effective and are quite possibly cheaper, like meditation, light exercise, yoga or even laughter.
Anecdotal evidence theorizes that acupuncture is even more effective than these other treatments for certain types of infertility. It tends to work better for functional complications similar to irregularities in the menstrual cycle, inflammations and hormone imbalances. It is not so effective with complications that would identify with surgery such as obstructions in the sperm ducts or fallopian tubes.
So prior to you making an appointment for a consultation with an acupuncturist it is a good idea to take some tests at the doctor’s practice to discover what is leading to your infertility. You may uncover that the problem is easily addressed with surgery, or quite possibly that it is not you but your partner who has fertility issues. If not, you may want to explore the relationship between acupuncture and fertility more deeply by experiencing the treatment for yourself.
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