So, it’s probably no surprise that one of my 2010 New Year’s resolutions was to try acupuncture. I figured it could only help reduce stress, increase blood flow and help me figure out WHEN I actually ovulate – something I’ve never really been able to do.

This is the first time we have “actively” tried to get pregnant. I really never expected that it would happen right away! Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but let me tell you what happened…

I went to see licensed acupuncturist, Carolyn Huffman/Huffman Wellness in South Tampa back in January. She specializes in fertility.

Related posts:

1. Yes, herbal medicine can help women achieve pregnancy
2. Study: Acupuncture may boost pregnancy
3. Acupuncture for pregnancy pain

After undergoing six grueling fertility treatments, five of which failed, singer Celine Dion recently announced that she and her husband are now expecting twins. She credits acupuncture with making the difference in her sixth IVF attempt and her statement is sure to raise interest in acupuncture among couples trying to conceive.

Related posts:

1. Acupuncture treatments for fertility
2. Acupuncture and Chinese herbs helped couple to conceive a baby
3. Acupuncture and infertility

After seeing medical doctors but getting few results, Poelzl decided to take another route. She visited alternative practitioners and began experimenting with Taoist exercises used in Chinese medicine. She practiced six minutes of exercises every morning, such as sitting quietly in a chair massaging her lower abdomen.

While there’s no hard science that shows that Taoist practices will improve a woman’s sex life, Poelzl says it worked for her.

“I noticed I started feeling more energy in my body, and more libido,” she says. “But it took at least six weeks of almost daily practice. You have to be committed.”

Related posts:

1. Chinese treatments for women’s libido
2. Chinese medicine – tradition and innovation?
3. Aging from a traditional Chinese medicine perspective

Chinese herbal formulas may also help. One of the most effective is Xiao Yao San, or Rambling Powder. It contains: Bupleurum Root (Bupleurum chinense), Chinese Peony Root (Paeonia lactiflora), Dong Quai Root (Angelica sinensis), Bai-Zhu Atractylodes Root (Atractylodes macrocephala), Poria Sclerotium (Poria cocos), Ginger Rhizome (Zingiber officinale), Chinese Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza uralensis),and Chinese Mint Leaf (Mentha haplocalyx)

Related posts:

1. PMS relief
2. Chinese herbs can help relieve PMS symptoms
3. Introduction: Dong Quai Root

MenoSense is a combination of natural herbs. One herb, black cohosh, has been used by Native Americans to prevent a variety of complaints. Now, it’s helping a generation of “boomer” women to stop the feeling that they’ve walked into an oven, have to turn up the air-conditioner, or change bed sheets due to nighttime sweats.

Black Cohosh works by blocking the pituitary gland from producing the luteinizing hormone responsible for hot flashes. Other studies show it may have a positive effect on mood by effecting serotonin receptors. It’s also reassuring for women to know that research reported in the International Journal of Oncology showed that black cohosh has no estrogenic activity.

Don Quai, another herb in MenoSense, used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine, also helps to reduce hot flashes. Other herbs, such as Vitex and Hesperidin ease menopausal symptoms by increasing the production of progesterone and decreasing prolactin which increases during menopause. And Gamma-Oryzanol, produced from rice bran oil, is an antioxidant effective in relieving menopausal symptoms by lowering elevated blood levels of triglyceride and cholesterol. Results usually occur within 12 weeks.

During menopause women, often through a lack of knowledge, make several errors. The worst is failure to seek medical attention if they have emotional and physical problems affecting their quality of life. I cannot recall a single patient who had bone-fide menopausal problems that was not helped by treatment.

A second error is when doctors use the wrong medication. I recently saw a woman who had been prescribed Prozac by her doctor. She was still suffering from night sweats and other menopausal symptoms. This patient had a hormonal imbalance and a ton of antidepressants would not cure her.

Related posts:

1. Herbal treatments for menopause
2. Herbs and menopause
3. Dong guai for hot flashes

Latest Research Shows that Green Tea and Pomegranate are Helpful in Losing Weight after Menopause, according to Dr. Ershadi

Dr. Ershadi, an expert in the area of treating menopause-related symptoms, believes that with the help of an herbal menopause treatment it is possible to lose weight once menopause is over. Some natural ingredients, such as green tea and pomegranate are proven to be helpful in losing weight gained during menopause.

Beverly Hills, CA (PRWEB) May 6, 2010 — Dr. Ershadi, an expert in the area of treating menopause-related symptoms, believes that with the help of an herbal menopause treatment it is possible to lose weight once menopause is over. Some natural ingredients, such as green tea and pomegranate, are proven to be helpful in losing weight gained during menopause. Weight gain is a common side effect of menopause, and one that most women would rather avoid. This is bound to be welcome news to women who are currently experiencing menopause, who are nearing menopausal age or who have completed menopause but are still dealing with a few stubborn extra pounds.

Related posts:

1. Green tea helps you lose weight
2. Green tea and weight management
3. Alternative ways to lose weight

Perhaps the world would become a singsong, happy place just like Viagra commercials promise.

Women could arrive home from a bone-weary day, drive the kids to practice, make supper, do a little housework and then — even after a slightly pithy exchange with their spouse over who’s driving the kids tomorrow — take a pill and shazam! they would feel instantly sexual, hot and bothered, ready and waiting.

Can you fathom if such a sex pill were invented? The millions upon millions of women who wouldn’t constantly struggle to keep up with “sexually normal.” No more couple fights, power struggles, withholding or marital breakups.

Related posts:

1. Chinese treatments for women’s libido
2. Acupuncture boosts libido
3. Aphrodisiacs

Acupuncture may be helpful in alleviating menstrual cramps, which affect up to half of all young women, an extensive review of past studies has found.

Health

In a review of 27 studies that involved nearly 3,000 women, researchers from the Oriental Hospital at Kyung Hee University Medical Center in South Korea found that acupuncture may be more effective than drugs or herbal medicines.

“There is convincing evidence on the effectiveness of using acupuncture to treat pain as it stimulates the production of endorphins and serotonin in the central nervous system,” the researchers wrote in a statement.

Endorphins are compounds produced naturally by the human body during exercise and excitement and they result in a feeling of well-being. Serotonin is a brain chemical.

“Compared with pharmacological treatment or herbal medicine, acupuncture was associated with a significant reduction in pain,” they added in their paper, which was published in the latest issue of the BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health has cited acupuncture as a possibly effective way of dealing with menstrual cramps.

The causes for many cases of menstrual cramps are unknown and for some women, the pain — accompanied by bloating, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and headache — can become more severe or may last longer as they grow older.

Related posts:

1. Herbs for menstrual cramps
2. Acupuncture can relieve pain from menstrual cramp
3. Herbs for menstrual pain

DAAN specializes in treating women’s health issues.

As many as 90 percent of all women deal with various degrees of premenstrual syndrome, ranging from moderate to severe aches, pains, bloating and emotional stress during their reproductive years. Reports show that as many as 40 percent have symptoms that are distressing enough to interfere with their daily lives.

Many women turn to over-the-counter drugs that only mask PMS symptoms for a few hours, but there are things you can do to repair the body from within. Here are five easy and natural cures that I’ve found get to the root of PMS symptoms and help repair your body naturally:

Bloating — Try some peach kernel (a fruit pit, not a nut). In the Chinese Herbal Materia Medica, peach kernel belongs to a category of herbs that invigorate the blood, expel stasis and moisten the intestines. All three of these actions help reduce bloating due to the menstrual cycle. The Chinese believe 10,000 diseases start in the intestines. The natural fats and oils contained in peach seeds help lubricate the intestines and unlock the bowels, thereby producing a gentle laxative effect. Not all peach kernels are created equal, so make sure you purchase the correct medicinal species. These can be found easily on the Internet, most Chinese markets or your local Chinatown. It’s extremely inexpensive and traditionally 5-10 kernels are crushed, boiled and made as a tea. You may also eat them raw, but use no more than 5-10 kernels. Some evidence says peach kernels may trigger an allergic reaction for those who have nut allergies. However slight, it may be better to avoid peach kernel if you have such allergies or if you’re pregnant.

Related posts:

1. Chinese herbs and PMS
2. Chinese medicine for PMS
3. PMS relief

To support my suspicions about what was causing my friend’s amorous behavior, the 2006 book “Ginseng Dreams: The Secret World of America’s Most Valuable Plant,” by Kristin Johannsen, reveals that one of ginseng’s medicinal properties is the aphrodisiacal effect. According to Johannsen, ginseng has a powerful aphrodisiacal affect based on several studies. Johannsen also discusses the research carried out by Laura Murphy, a scientist and instructor in the physiology department at the University of Southern Illinois. Murphy tested the effects of American ginseng on rats, and she was surprised at the results. She found the ginseng-fed rats’ libido and performance rate was much higher than that of the control group. The effects of ginseng were much more effective on the libido than cocaine, marijuana or prescription drugs. I think I will be cooking with ginseng oil all the time!

Ginseng is a perennial plant belonging to the Araliaceae botanical family, which includes carrots, celery and parsnips. The root is yellowish with a creamy texture like parsnips. The word ginseng literally means “man plant,” because the shape of the ginseng root is similar to that of a human being. Ginseng is also known as the tiger of the plant world, and as the plant that hides from man, because it grows slowly and favors the deep forests. The botanical name Panax was later given to ginseng, and it means “all healing” or “cure-all” in Greek.

History suggests that ginseng was discovered in the mountains of Northern China over 5,000 years ago. It is also believed that ginseng was used as a food source and a medicinal remedy over 3,000 years ago. Ginseng is highly prized and respected by American and Chinese herbalists. The belief is that ginseng helps the body and mind stay in balance. It is also believed that ginseng improves the function of the heart and nervous system, and that it stimulates the endocrine gland. The popularity of ginseng was so great at one point that the plant almost became extinct!

Three North American Indian tribes used the ginseng root for its medicinal power and health benefits. The American settlers discovered ginseng in the 18th century in the New England region of the United States. By 1850, so much ginseng was being harvested and exported to Asia that it almost became extinct. Initially, attempts to cultivate ginseng failed until the early 1900s, when the East Coast farmers began to grown ginseng in small gardens.

Related posts:

1. Ginseng!
2. Ginseng
3. Deer threaten ginseng