Coping with Infertility

Lesson 4: Alternative Therapies and Treatments

Acupuncture and Acupressure

Now that you have seen the word acupuncture more than once you may be thinking that there is pain involved with such treatment, after all, there are needles involved. Believe it or not, you would be wrong if you thought that. Although acupuncture uses needles, there is no pain associated with the application of the needles. You might feel something, but not pain, associated with the needles.

Simply put, acupuncture works by stimulating the nerves in the areas where the needles are placed. If you have either unexplained infertility, or if your infertility is not due to structural problems (blocked fallopian tubes for example), then acupuncture may help you to conceive. When being treated with acupuncture, the 'whole body' is treated, not just the reproductive areas. The treatment has been referred to as very relaxing, and that by itself may help a great deal if the man or woman is dealing with stress in addition to infertility.

By stimulating the nerves in the areas where the needles are placed, the body is 'triggered' into healing itself by delivering additional blood, oxygen, and nutrients to the area. Acupressure works in the same way. The practitioner applies steady pressure to the areas instead of needles to achieve the same healing benefits. Both of these methods of healing have been used in the Orient for over 5,000 years, but are just now becoming acceptable in some areas of the US.

The body is divided into meridians, or Qi (pronounced Chee) pathways. So, if you are being treated for irregular periods, you may receive 'treatment' in the arms, legs, and stomach, or you may receive treatment in the arm, wrist, hands, legs, feet, and ears. Depending on what your symptoms are, you may receive treatment in different areas of the body, which you would not normally connect to the reproductive areas.

When looking for a practitioner, you first want to find someone fully trained and licensed by your state. If you are not sure if acupuncture or acupressure are legal in the state that you live in, you can refer to the State Laws from Acupuncture.com. I recommend that you first search for a practitioner using the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine or by using theAmerican Academy of Medical Acupuncture search form.

After locating a practitioner, you should follow the same steps that you would if you were looking for any other type of doctor. Schedule a 'get to know you' type of appointment. This way you and the practitioner can ask each other questions and find out if this type of treatment is right for you.

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