Chinese medicine helps PCOS

Chinese herbal medicines for PCOS show a promise

In today’s fast-paced world, where medical advances are often driven by cutting-edge technology, it is easy to forget that the nature can still offer us potent remedies. Unkei-to, a traditional herbal medicine that has been shown to have a significant impact on endocrine function and ovulation in women with high basal levels of luteinising hormone (LH) secretion.

To understand the potential benefits of unkei-to, we must first examine the role that LH plays in a woman’s reproductive system. LH is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland that regulates the menstrual cycle and triggers ovulation. When LH levels are abnormally high, it can lead to anovulation, or the absence of ovulation, a condition affecting many women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and non-polycystic ovary syndrome.

A study conducted by Ushiroyama and colleagues investigated the effects of unkei-to on 100 patients, 38 of whom had PCOS, and 62 who did not. The patients were randomly divided into two groups, with 52 receiving unkei-to treatment and 48 serving as a control group. The researchers then compared endocrine levels, follicle growth, and response to unkei-to between the two groups.

The results were nothing short of remarkable. Unkei-to induced significant decreases in plasma LH levels in both PCOS and non-PCOS patients with high LH levels. Moreover, plasma estradiol levels increased significantly by 43.5% after eight weeks of treatment with unkei-to. Patients treated with unkei-to also experienced significant development of the dominant follicle.

When the patients suffering from ovulatory failure or irregular menstruation with high plasma LH concentration were treated with unkei-to for eight weeks, a reduction in serum LH levels of at least 1 standard deviation from baseline was observed in 45.5% of PCOS patients and in 80.0% of non-PCOS patients. The rate of menstrual cycle improvement, including successful ovulation, was 50.0% in the PCOS group and 60.0% in the non-PCOS group, with no significant difference between the two groups.

These findings serve as a powerful reminder of the potential that lies within the natural world, and the efficacy of traditional herbal medicine in treating complex health issues. Unkei-to has shown its ability to rebalance hormonal levels and promote ovulation, offering hope to countless women seeking relief from the challenges of anovulation and irregular menstruation. As we continue to explore the wonders of nature, we may well uncover more treasures like unkei-to, reminding us that sometimes, the answers we seek are already within our grasp.

Chinese name for Unkei-to is Wen Jing Tang. We commonly use this TCM formula at our practice. You maybe interested to learn more about TCM herbs for fertility.

Melbourne’s Northern Hospital embraces acupuncture

It’s time to face a new emergency medicine in Australia. In a radical departure from accepted hospital practice across the nation, the Emergency Department at the Northern Hospital in Melbourne is incorporating ancient techniques into its new approach to care.

When patients arrive at casualty, they will now be treated with acupuncture to reduce symptoms such as pain and nausea. Final year acupuncture students at RMIT University will deliver the treatment, which will be used in conjunction with standard medical practice. Students before working at the Melborne emergency department went to train in Chinese TCM hospitals.

Doctors will seek to try to find other ways of treating patients at the emergency department. The primary goal is to find out when acupuncture is helpful and when is better not to use it. From battlefield acupuncture used in the military we know that it works well in extreme pain situations.  So it makes sense to offer this therapy when in pain or experiencing nausea instead of giving drugs.

Other hospitals will be following the lead and if the trial is successful will be integrating into emergency departments around the country.

Read the article here

Chinese medicine bears hope for women undergoing IVF

Mary Stewart was keen to start a family, but she’d had several ectopic pregnancies and her right-hand Fallopian tube had been removed. Also, only her right ovary was ovulating.

Stewart, 31, a property developer, was prepared to try in-vitro fertilisation, but as a last resort. An article she’d read on acupuncture and infertility made her look on the internet for an alternative practitioner willing to work alongside conventional methods.

That’s how, two years ago, she found Jo George, who runs the Life Medicine Clinic at Crouch End here. George uses acupuncture and Chinese medicine, with an emphasis on gynecological health and conception.

“The first thing Jo did was to try to stimulate my left ovary using electro-acupuncture – tiny currents through the needles. That sounds a bit scary, but all you feel is a buzzing or tingling. After several months, amazingly, my left ovary did ovulate. I was having follicle tracking at a hospital, so they could tell me straight away.”

Stewart, however, decided to try in-vitro fertilisation after all.

“The follicle tracking was so slow and I was becoming so miserable. It was a terrible blow when my first go at in-vitro fertilisation failed. I was resting before the next cycle of treatment when I fell pregnant naturally.”

Sam was born last April.

Stewart had been having weekly acupuncture sessions with George and drinking individually prescribed mixtures of Chinese herbal medicine – which tastes notoriously awful – before she conceived.

Moxa for pregnancy

She continued to visit George for acupuncture throughout her pregnancy. At 36 weeks, her son was in a breech position. “I was desperate to avoid a Caesarean. Jo suggested Moxa. It seemed like a mad treatment. I burst out laughing when she told me what we had to do. I thought, ‘That’ll never work’.”

Moxa is a dried herb that comes in a roll. For 15 minutes each evening, Stewart’s husband, Jeremy, held a smoldering roll of Moxa close to her little toe.

“Sam would be going nuts, wiggling around inside and he did turn, just as I was about to be booked in for a Caesarean.”

Stewart is pregnant with her second child, conceived naturally and without help. Stewart is convinced George’s techniques have enhanced her fertility.

“I was sceptical, but when I saw the follicle tracking results I sat up and took notice. I also didn’t think that the way the Moxa worked was coincidence. Jo also made me feel better in myself, more relaxed, and she was good at reminding me that these things take time.”

George, 35, trained in aromatherapy, massage and reflexology before taking a degree in acupuncture at the University of Westminster and then studying Chinese herbal medicine.

Each hour-long visit begins with a consultation, then the patient lies on a couch while she inserts the fine needles.

George leaves the patient to relax or sleep while she blends their herbs, which might include licorice, mint or Angelica. She uses ready-ground herbs so patients don’t need to boil up bark or roots for hours – they simply take the powders in hot water.

Her training in China led George to believe that Western and Chinese medicine could sit happily together. “Chinese doctors are trained in both.”

Gynecology is one of the strengths of Chinese medicine, George says.

“Not everyone who sees me wants to get pregnant. There may be another problem, such as fibroids, endometriosis, or heavy or painful periods.”

Andrew Moore, a former National Health Service consultant biochemist and now editor of Bandolier, an online magazine that promotes evidence-based thinking about health care, says if acupuncture could significantly help with conception, it would be in widespread use.