Traditional Chinese Medicine And Infertility - Part Iii
By Dr. Mike Berkley, Thu Dec 8th
TRADITIONAL CHINESE MEDICINE AND - PART III In the beginning sections of this article, we considered theproper treatment methods of Traditional Chinese Medicine and TheFour Examaminations, a method of diagnosis that dates back overthree thousand years. We also looked at the mechanisms of actionwith TCM and accupuncture. In this final section we will consider the combined diagnosticsof Eastern and Western Medicine along with the uses of herbalmedicine in the treatment of infertility.
A DIAGNOSTIC WINDOW - EAST MEETS WEST One TCM diagnosis which exists and which may be etiologic formale or female is called Liver qi stagnation. One ofthe key identifiers of an individual with the patterndifferentiation of Liver qi stagnation is anger, rage,frustration, depression and anxiety. "Symptoms of depression, anxiety, and anger may help indetermining the nature of experienced by somecouples, and identify those who would benefit most frompsychological counseling, suggest researchers. Dr. Secondo Fassino (University School of Medicine, Turin,Italy) and colleagues recorded the personal characteristics of156 infertile and 80 fertile couples, and measured their degreeof psychopathology. When the researchers divided the couplesaccording to the nature of the infertility-organic, functional,or undetermined-they found that the triad of anxiety,depression, and a tendency toward anger suppression successfullypredicted the diagnosis of organic or functional inwomen, with 97 percent accuracy. For infertile men, anxiety was also an important independentpredictor of functional infertility, increasing the likelihoodof having this form of five-fold, while depressionwas more predictive of organic infertility. However, with men -unlike women - anger did not appear to influence inmen. The results suggest the possibility of identifying a subgroup ofinfertile subjects where, beyond the distress that is consequentto the failure of repeated attempts to conceive a baby, there isalso a poorly adaptive psychological functioning, which islikely to play an important role in the onset and course offunctional infertility," the team concludes.” It is becoming more and more prevalent that research conductedby Western scientists and physicians are highlighting theveracity and effectiveness of Traditional Chinese Medicine. HERBAL MEDICINE The efficacy of herbal medicine in treating isindisputable to the patient community although the mechanism ofaction is not completely understood at this time. Similarly themechanism of action of tricyclic antidepressants is not fullyunderstood in its effect on chronic pain (i.e., in the case offibromyalgia), but its efficacy has been maintained. Practitioners of Chinese herbal medicine rarely use a singleherb in treatment. Chinese herbs are formula based; many herbsare mixed together to create the perfect 'decoction'specifically designed for the individual patient. Some formulae contain two herbs and some thirty or more herbs.Each herb has many functions. Each herb has its own flavor,nature, temperature and trophism. Prescribing the correct herbalmedicinals requires extensive training and clinical experience. Self-medicating with herbal medicine presents a dual dilemma. Atbest the herbs will be useless, as the key to correct formulaprescription is an accurate differential diagnosis which canonly be rendered by a licensed, board certified, experiencedpractitioner. At the worst case, self-prescribing of herbalmedicine may prove
harmful or fatal. A good example of this is Ma Huang/Ephedra. Ma Huang is an herbprescribed on a daily basis by hundreds of TCM practitioners tothousands of patients safely. That several people have died as a result of taking Ma Huang hasnothing to do with the dangerous properties of the herb, ratherwith the fact that in all cases of fatalities the individualswere self-medicating, without directions from a doctor requiredfor appropriate applications and contraindications. Aspirin canalso prove fatal if taken by a hemophiliac. This is not anindication that aspirin should be banned or that it is adangerous drug, but that it is unsafe if used inappropriatelyand safe if used appropriately. Not only is herbal medicine safe, it is highly effective intreating much pathology without the concomitant adverse effectswhich often accompany pharmaceutical drugs. There are manyhospitalizations and fatalities which occur yearly as a resultof adverse reactions to biomedicine. The occurrence of adversereactions to herbal medicine is far less. I have used herbal formulae repeatedly to lower elevated FSHlevels, to regulate irregular menstrual cycles, to mitigate painin the endometriosis patient; to mitigate pain in the patientwho presents with ovulation and/or menstruation relatedmigraines; to thicken an unresponsive endometrium; to treat theamenorrheic; the oligomenorrheic patient; to treat patients withpartial tubal occlusion; and the patient who presents withidiopathic infertility. Additionally, I have successfullytreated male factor infertility, which includes presentationssuch as low sperm count and poor motility. Clearly, further research is needed to fully understand themechanisms of action of acupuncture and herbal medicine intreating the infertile patient. Nevertheless, it is my opinionthat the best-case scenario for most patients is to offer themevery reasonable option which may serve to successfully addresstheir presentation. Based upon the empirical evidence of mypractice in which I specialize in the treatment of theinfertility, the integration of acupuncture and herbal medicineinto the treatment protocol from a clinical perspective makessense. About the author:Dr. Mike Berkley has been treating fertility disorders since1996 with amazing results. He works exclusively in the area ofreproductive medicine and enjoys working in conjunction withsome of New York’s most prestigious reproductiveendocrinologists. Sign up for his free newsletter atwww.BerkleyCenter.com |
