by urban-acupuncture | Feb 14, 2016 | Acupuncture
Infertility Treatment
Acupuncture has been used for a long time as a treatment for infertility. Experts in the field suggest that the role of acupuncture to treat this problem is not just limited to helping a woman become pregnant, but to sustain the pregnancy and have a healthy baby. As a primary requisite, reducing stress can increase the chances of fertility.
Acupuncture improves the blood circulation in the reproductive organs and balances the endocrine system. This creates a good foundation for fertility. Leading board certified acupuncturist Steve M. Drugan provides treatments for infertility and various other health conditions to patients in Columbus, OH and surrounding locations.
Benefits of Improved Blood Flow
Acupuncture offers a number of benefits, including improvement in the blood flow. This is particularly helpful in the treatment of infertility. An increase in blood circulation to the uterus and ovaries creates a better chance for an egg to receive nourishment and be carried to term. Under-functioning and over-functioning thyroid conditions also affect fertility, which can be addressed with acupuncture.
While acupuncture may not help to address tubal adhesions, which can result from endometriosis, it can increase the blood flow to the endometrium, which enables the building of a thick, rich lining. Combined with the enhanced follicular and ovarian function, it can help to increase the chances of fertility. Acupuncturist Steve Drugan receives patients from Columbus, OH and nearby communities for infertility treatment.
What to Perform the Treatment?
Just as in case of physical therapy, more acupuncture is usually better than less. In case of infertility treatment, the expert provider will usually treat the woman for three to four months before progressing to insemination, IVF or donor-egg transfer. This pace of treatment appears to have a better therapeutic effect. Some researchers suggest that acupuncture treatments should be received pre and post embryo transfer.
Clinical observations performed at leading reproductive wellness centers indicate that acupuncture combined with traditional medicine can provide highly effective fertility solutions. Miscarriages typically occur in the first three months of pregnancy. Therefore, acupuncture treatments will often last through week 12 to help prevent miscarriage.
Typical Candidates
Almost any type of fertility disorder, including spasmed tubes, can be treated with acupuncture. Acupuncture will usually de-spasmed the spasmed tubes. However, blocked tubes may not respond to the treatment. The treatment can be performed in conjunction with herbal remedies to address elevated follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), unexplained or idiopathic infertility, repeated pregnancy loss, luteal phase defect, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), and male factor including men affected with sperm-DNA-fragmentation.
Risks
Some patients may be concerned whether any risks are involved in using acupuncture to treat infertility. Extensive patient feedback and research indicates that the risks in using acupuncture for infertility treatment are minimal. If the provider applies acupuncture on incorrect points during pregnancy, it can increase the risk of miscarriage.
Therefore, it is important to choose an experienced acupuncturist when a patient decides to include acupuncture in their infertility treatment regimen. Otherwise acupuncture is generally considered very safe irrespective of the patient’s medical history.
For more information about how acupuncture and other treatments can help you, please contact Board Certified Licensed Acupuncturist, Steve Drugan,B.S., L.Ac., at 614.218.6287 or click here. Taking new patients in and around Columbus, Ohio.
Photo by D. Roseborough
by urban-acupuncture | Feb 4, 2016 | Acupuncture
Pain Management
Acupuncture is a widely used technique in pain management. The practitioner will stimulate specific points in the body, usually with the insertion of thin needles through the skin. Steve Drugan, a highly experienced and board certified acupuncturist, provides proven and effective solutions for pain management to patients in Columbus, OH and surrounding communities.
Effectiveness
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) website talks about the effectiveness of acupuncture in pain management. It says that results from several studies indicate that acupuncture may help ease certain types of pain, particularly the ones that are chronic. These could include pain in the lower back, pain in the neck, and osteoarthritis related knee pain. It may also help to bring down the frequency of headaches and prevent migraines.
Therefore, people suffering chronic pain conditions may consider acupuncture as an option in pain management, according to NIH. Researchers are slowly beginning to understand how acupuncture may impact the brain and body, and how such an impact can be measured. In terms of safety and side effects, scientific research shows that relatively few complications arising from the use of acupuncture have been reported.
However, it is important that the acupuncture treatment for pain management should be administered correctly. If not, it may lead to severe adverse effects, including punctured or collapsed organs, infections, and injuries to the central nervous system. Acupuncturist Drugan receives patients from Columbus, OH and nearby areas who need pain management solutions.
Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Effects
Acupuncture has both anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, which combine to create a potent pain management solution. Studies show that when acupuncture is used to treat a swollen arthritic knee joint, it is likely to result in reduced swelling and improved range of motion, apart from pain relief. These studies present objective of reduction in inflammation with acupuncture.
In Berman et al.’s landmark study conducted in 2004, which included 570 subjects, the patients received 25 acupuncture treatments over six months, starting with two treatments per week. The primary outcomes of the trial were measured for pain as well as function. Results showed a 40 percent decrease in the pain score from the baseline, and an almost 40 percent improvement in function was also recorded. No adverse effects of the treatment were attributed.
Osteoarthritis of the hip is one of the conditions that have shown to respond well to acupuncture in many cases. The treatment is also used to manage neuropathic pain of various etiologies. Generalized burning pain that follows a spinal cord injury can be treated effective with a specific acupuncture protocol. It involves insertion of three needles into the scalp along the midline at points close to the vertex and on the occiput, and another one between the brows.
This acupuncture protocol may be useful to treat neuropathic pain such as post-nerve injury pain, post-herpetic neuralgia, perineal burning pain, and burning mouth syndrome. Acupuncturist Drugan receives patients from in and around Columbus, OH for pain management and other conditions.
Pain Management in Serious Diseases
In one of the trials, acupuncture has shown to deliver major relief from severe neuropathic pain caused by spinal cancer in a UK hospice patient. Adequate data is not available about the benefits of acupuncture in managing neuropathic pain arising out of diabetes. However, neuropathic associated with drugs for HIV is known to respond significantly to acupuncture.
For more information about how acupuncture and other treatments can help you, please contact Board Certified Licensed Acupuncturist, Steve Drugan,B.S., L.Ac., at 614.218.6287 or click here. Taking new patients in and around Columbus, Ohio.
Contact Us For More Information
For more information about how acupuncture, massage therapy and other alternative healing treatments can help you, please contact the Urban Acupuncture Center Board Certified Licensed Acupuncturist’s team at Indianola Ave, Clintonville (614) 725-2488 | Main St, Westerville (614) 426-4406 or click here. Taking new patients in and around greater Columbus, Ohio.
