Many women are turning to acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine to treat infertility:
Felicia Selmensberger had no clue what was in store when she made her first appointment with an acupuncturist in Snyder. All she knew was that she wanted to get pregnant and carry her baby to term. After three miscarriages and a string of fertility doctors in Buffalo and Rochester, the 35-year-old was willing to give ancient Chinese medicine a try.
She is not alone. As a form of complementary or alternative health care, acupuncture –the traditional Chinese medicine that involves the insertion of fine needles at key points into the body – is making inroads on the regional health scene, with more than 25 facilities offering acupuncture services.
In September, Ongiara College in Fort Erie, Ont., welcomed its first class of acupuncture students. At Daemen College, students are offered a specialization in complementary and alternative health care, including a class in acupressure.
“My problem is not conceiving, but holding a pregnancy,” explained Selmensberger, of Lancaster. “I’m willing to do anything it takes. If this is natural and healthy for your body, maybe I need to switch to that gear.”
Acupuncture can balance body energy, body chemicals and hormones, stated Aihan Kuhn in her book “Simple Chinese Medicine.” No drugs are prescribed. The needles are not medicinally coated.
“I strongly believe there are pathways in the body that are different from what medical doctors dissect in the anatomy lab,” said Dr. David Kurss, an obstetrician/gynecologist and director of Women’s Wellness Center of Western New York. “These are called energy pathways or meridians, and they affect vitality of the entire body. Not infrequently, when doctors can’t determine the cause of a particular ailment, an acupuncturist, by opening up blockages, can initiate steps to resolving the problem.”
Acupuncture has been used in this country to help manage pain, stress, migraine headaches and infertility – but in other countries, specifically in England, acupuncture has been integrated with Western medicine as well as other forms of complementary therapy.
In 2006, an estimated 3.1 million U. S. adults and 150,000 children used acupuncture, according to the 2007 National Health Interview, the latest statistics available. The report included a comprehensive survey of complementary and alternative medicine use by Americans. But acupuncture can be difficult for the average patient to comprehend.
“The acupuncturist feels for energy,” said Justine Tutuska, director of health care studies at Daemen. “They’ll look at the tongue, palpate the stomach feeling for heat or cold. They’re looking to create balance. That’s why it is so strange for people. We are used to being told or labeled with a certain disease, and then given a medication to counter it.
“Chinese medicine is not good or bad,” Tutuska noted. “It’s just a different diagnosis.
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