Clinic Blog

Regardless of IVF Egg and sperm quality and uterine lining are important for healthy baby

Lorne Brown — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 08:30:53 -0800

I think of my role as a fertility navigator discussing all the possible options available to couples and supporting them in the decision and path they choose. The Chinese medicine and acupuncture approach is to optimize the fertility of the man and woman to increase the chances of a HEALTHY live birth either from natural conception or ART like IVF/ICSI.

Chinese medicine works on the building blocks. The environment that helps the egg and sperm reach their maximum potential. IVF works on the structural and a very important aspect of fertility, it gets the egg and sperm together.....conception. We need sperm and egg to get together to create life. But once they "meet" it is up to the inherent wisdom contained in the sperm and egg that "choose" to fertilize to become an embryo and then a human being (see video below).

I am going to repeat my point about how IVF and Chinese medicine compliment each other as this is the motivating force behind my desire of integrative fertility care. IVF gets the sperm and egg together and it does this better than anything else, including the old fashion way. But it offers little influence in how the cells divide and create life. This potential was set during the preconception period (months leading up to fertilization) This is such a complex and still mysterious process that we have yet to fully comprehend it. Chinese medicine supports this process by optimizing the health potential of the individual which includes the egg and sperm. Chinese medicine does not try to override this process but rather support it. IVF purposely overrides it in order to stimulate as many follicles as possible. Together, Chinese medicine and IVF can be used together to have a healthy baby. Chinese medicine first to get healthy and balanced to optimize your fertility with the goal of your egg/sperm reaching their fertility potential. Also, a receptive and nutrient rich uterine environment to nourish and support the developing baby through the 9 months of pregnancy. And then there is IVF to bring egg and sperm together and also to help pick the best "looking" embryo/blastocyst (even testing with PGD etc. to make sure no chromosomal abnormalities - again to help choose the best potential for a healthy baby) and transfer that back into a welcoming uterine environment (using acupuncture to help with blood flow and implantation)

This TED talk on conception helps supports my approach on why it is a good idea to support this process by using the preconception period to optimize your fertility.

The Yin and Yang of Pregnancy

Ryan — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:56:24 -0800

Yin and Yang are opposites. This opposition is relative, and can only be spoken of in relationships, pregnacy is yin, labour is yang.

As a total state of yin is reached, yang begins to grow. Within Yin there is Yang and within Yang there is yin. As the end of the pregnancy is reached, the labour process starts to develop. Within labour, the rest periods are yin while the contractions are yang. The rise and peak of a contraction is yang, and the decline of a contraction is yin.

Yin and Yang are continuously changing and being consumed. Normally this is a harmonious change, but when Yin or Yang are out of balance they affect each other, and too much of one can eventually weaken the other. Strong and frequent contractions with minimal rest periods is and example of Yang consuming Yin.

When the time is right, yin and yang can change into each other. Birth only comes when labour is finished.

Chinese Herbal Medicine Effectively Treats Infertility

Ryan — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:12:47 -0800

A recent study has recently come out showing how effective Chinese Herbal Medicine can be in the treatment of infertility.

This government funded study from the University of Adelaide has shown that Chinese Herbal Medicine can achieve a 60% pregnancy rate while western drug treatment achieves a 30% pregnancy rate.

here is a link to the article:

http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/lifestyle/a/-/health/12758011/tackling-infertility-with-chinese-medicine/

It is important to find a Chinese Medicine practitioner who has extensive training and is confident in the treatment of fertility issues. Once source to search for a practitioner would be from the ABORM (American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine). They have an extensive list of registered practitioners throughout the US and Canada. Follow the link below to search for a practitioner in your area:

http://aborm.org/practitioners/practitioners.html

Dr. Ryan Funk, Dr.TCM
FABORM
www.Acubalance.ca
www.IVFacupuncture.ca

Email: Ryan [at] acubalance [dot] ca

Finding the right birth doula can feel like dating, so why not treat it that way?

Emilie — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:55:48 -0800

First dates are awkward. You meet at a coffee shop anxious to know if there will be a connection. Will they like me? Will I like them? What if they aren't my type? How do I let them know if I'm not interested without hurting their feelings.
Sounds like the perils single life in the city, but this blog isn't about the Vancouver dating scene, it's about finding a birth doula.

For those who don't know, a doula is someone who supports women and their families during labour and childbirth as well as postpartum. A doula is different from a Midwife or Obstetrician in that a doula has a non-medical role during the birth, focused on the comfort, mental-emotional well-being and general support of the woman and her family. Doulas vary greatly and can provide adjunct services such as massage, photography, breast feeding counseling, birth plan advocacy etc...
Needless to say finding the right fit, one who instils confidence and puts you at ease, is a lot like find a good partner.

So how does one find this perfect birth team match? This is where the dating comes in.
Most Doulas are open for a meet and greet either at an office, a home or more casually at a coffee shop. This is a great opportunity to get a sense of who they are, how they work, what they offer and if you connect with them. Don't be discouraged if you are unsure or resistant to commit to the first couple of Doulas, this is a deeply personal time for you and your family, so finding a good match may take a few tries.
Word of mouth is another great way to get introduced to a Doula. Ask around, have any of your friends or colleagues used one? What was their experience?
A few of Acubalance's Doula favorites include; Jaquie Munroe, Michelle McLean and Morag Hastings.

Another option for those who want to expedite the process and eliminate any awkward 'we're just not that into you' moments with prospective Doulas, is Doula Speed Dating. This is a great idea! So much so, that I wish I had thought of it first.
Doula speed dating is much like normal speed dating. The event invites multiple doulas to come and then prospective clients take 5-10 minutes going from Doula to Doula asking questions and getting a sense of who they connect with best. Genius!

There are a lot of different options for finding a great team to support your birth. There is no right or wrong answer.

Whether you choose a Doula or decide to go without, Acubalance can help support your pregnancy, prepare you for the birth, and care for you postpartum.

To find a list of Doulas in your area check out: Doula Services Association
For more information on Acubalance prenatal and postpartum care as well as cervical ripening visit: Acubalance Pregnancy and Postpartum Care

Congratulations and best wishes on your journey!

Luteal Phase Spotting

Ryan — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:30:31 -0800

I recently had a few patients coming in who are experiencing luteal phase spotting and are trying to conceive. In Chinese Medicine we diagnose spotting as any type of bleed which is less than a flow. Not the most scientific explanation but for most people it works as a good definition. Spotting can occur around ovulation, pre-menstrualy (luteal phase) and often is found during the last days of ones period.

After ovulation the follicle is left behind on the ovary after it releases the egg and is called the corpus luteum. The corpus luteum releases progesterone for up to 14 days before being reabsorbed by the ovary. The corpus luteam produces progesterone during the time between ovulation and your period (or until a pregnancy has been achieved).

During the luteal phase there can be several reasons for spotting. An implanting embryo can irritate the uterine lining allowing a short period of slight bleeding showing up as spotting. This would be known as implantation bleeding. A bleed shortly after ovulation may be caused by a lull period of progesterone where the corpus luteum may take a prolonged amount of time before releasing adequate amounts of progesterone. If the corpus luteum produces inadequate quantities of progesterone this can cause spotting leading up the a full flow period.

Some structural abnormalities may also cause bleeding such as fibroids or cancer cells.

In Chinese Medicine we analyze the body and the type of spotting in order to pin point a specific type of treatment. Using acupuncture Chinese herbal formulas and diet/lifestyle suggestions we are able to treat bleeding disorders such as spotting. By focusing on regulating the blood flow we are able to decrease and hopefully eliminate the spotting.

In my practice I work primarily with women trying to conceive. I have stumbled upon a program which calculates the chance of a pregnancy when a women has luteal phase spotting. The calculator takes into consideration how many days past ovulation you are and how many days of spotting you have experienced. I"m not sure how accurate this program is but I wanted to share it with those who wanted to give it a try.

Pregnancy Calculator when experiencing Luteal Phase Spotting

Best of Health
Ryan

Dr. Ryan Funk, Dr.TCM
FABORM
www.Acubalance.ca
www.IVFacupuncture.ca
Email: Ryan [at] acubalance [dot] ca

Good Bye Rabbit, Hello Dragon !

Ryan — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 08:09:22 -0800

The Chinese New year 2011 was the year of the Rabbit and on Monday January 23rd it switches to a new year belonging to the Dragon. Anyone born in 2011 (or any other Rabbit for that matter) is supposed to be very attractive while the Dragon signs of 2012 are supposed to be powerful and lucky.

Although I do not follow the Chinese Horoscope to closely I do find it very entertaining. If we look close enough I am pretty sure we can find a little of ourselves in every zodiac sign.

Traditionally in China you bring in the New Year by gathering with friends and family with a focuss on great food. Doesn't sound too much different from my New Years traditions, although I will have to cook up some dumplings and spring rolls to make this one special. This is also the time to do an extensive clean in the house to wash away all the ill fortune of last year making room for the luck coming in the new year.

All who are in their fertility journey I wanted to wish them the best for 2012 and hopefully the "luck" of the year of the Dragon works in their favor. If conception does occur and you are expecting a 2013 baby, the year of the snake will bring a diplomatic and popular baby into your home.

Wishing you the best of luck in the upcoming year and a greater level of health

Dr. Ryan Funk, Dr.TCM
FABORM
www.Acubalance.ca
Email: Ryan [at] acubalance [dot] ca
Dr Funks Blog - Click Here

Recurrent Pregnancy Loss, Still Birth and Chinese Medicine

Ryan — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:49:01 -0800

I was reading studies discussing some of the more common causes of late term pregnancy loss or still births. Some of the more common and expected predictors at the start of a pregnancy are obesity, diabetes, hypertension, women over 40 yrs of age and women with a history of smoking or drug use. Some less known commonalities found were women with a AB blood type or women not living with a partner. Although these are the common risk factors of still births they only represent about 20% of those who experienced this type of trauma.

Another research article discusses more core causes of stillbirths. In this study they found the following causes for death at or after 20 weeks gestation:

29% - during labor (most commonly due to infections)

24% - placental disorders (ie - infections, genetic abnormalities, umbilical cord disorder causing lack of blood flow)

17% - maternal medical conditions (ie hypertension)

24% - unexplained

Here is a link to more information to the above studies

Chinese medicine can treat recurrent pregnancy loss and late term pregnancy losses using acupuncture, herbal formulas and diet/lifestyle adjustments. I have treated women who have gone through this horrible experience that go on to a healthy pregnancy and a healthy child. We have a saying here at Acubalance which says "Nourish the soil before planting the seed". Before trying for another pregnancy after a disappointing miscarriage making sure you are both physically and mentally healthy.

We need to focus on what you really want. Many people believe the main goal is a pregnancy but from my view, the main goal is a healthy child! Make sure your body is a healthy, fertile environment not only to achieve a pregnancy but to hold and nourish life over the next 9 months. Men's health is also extremely important. Many men believe this is more of a women's issue but this is not the case. Research is now showing close connections with men's health and recurrent pregnancy loss. Chinese medicine is an amazing tool to help our bodies reach a greater level of health. I have seen spectacular results using simple natural methods to help decrease the chances of having another miscarriage.

I have added a few links below to women who have written about their story using Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to achieve a healthy pregnancy and baby after experiencing a miscarriage:

Healthy Baby after 3 Miscarriages

Successful Birth after having Miscarriage at 11 weeks

Threatened Miscarriage - Heavy bleeding at 13 weeks

3 Miscarriages

If you have experienced a miscarriage and are curious if Chinese Medicine could help you have a healthy child feel free to request a free 15 minute phone consultation - click here for more information

Best of Health

Ryan

Dr. Ryan Funk, Dr.TCM
FABORM
www.Acubalance.ca
Email: Ryan [at] acubalance [dot] ca
Dr Funks Blog - Click Here

Enjoyment of Practice

Ryan — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 07:32:19 -0800

I had a great opportunity to attend a coursein Vancouver over the past weekend on the topic of treating irregular bleeding (menorrhagia, metrorrhagia, spotting, and amenorrhea) menstrual bleeding. It was taught by Sharon Weizenbaum, Sharon has been practicing Chinese Medicine for over 25 years, studied under several amazing TCM Doctors and has many published articles.

Over the weekend Sharon was able to share some of her clinical experiences and truly solidify the effective use of Chinese Medicine in the treatment of gynecological disorders and fertility. I love attending inspirational weekend courses such as this as it really excites me in my own practice. There is an expression in Chinese medicine circles that says "to treat infertility, first regulate the cycle". I enjoyed this course in particular because it related to my daily practice of treating infertility. All day yesterday I had a grin of excitement through all my treatments. I am so lucky to enjoy what I do, helping amazing people achieve a greater level of health and, a healthy family.

Dr. Ryan Funk, Dr.TCM
FABORM
www.Acubalance.ca
Email: Ryan [at] acubalance [dot] ca
Dr Funks Blog - Click Here

Thin lining and IVF acupuncture and other natural approaches

Lorne Brown — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 12:15:46 -0800

The following is a response I shared on a forum where I was asked about using acupuncture for thin lining before IVF/FET. Since I wrote her a lengthy reply I decided to post a version of my response also on the Acubalance site through my blog as it may prove to be beneficial to my readers who also have lining issues.

Two studies I am familiar with are the Yu lining protocol and and the Steiner Blood impediment protocol. Please note that the frequency of electro acupuncture (EA) appears to matter. There has been a study demonstrating high frequency EA can reduce blood flow. So if your acupuncturist needs to be cognizant of the frequency they are using. The Steiner study used a mixed frequency of 2hz and 100hz. If you are an acupuncturist reading this post and are interested in learning how to combine acupuncture with IVF/FET and donor egg cycles then you can find out about several studies using acupuncture to improve IVF success including the two studies listed above in Brandon Horn's online course.

I can provide some general approaches to improving lining issues. Please consult with your healthcare provider to see if any of these would apply to and benefit you.

My approach is aimed at improving both thickness of lining and equally important, quality of lining to help with uterine receptivity and implantation. I recommend five natural approaches to help improve blood flow to the reproductive system to optimize egg and sperm quality and uterine receptivity: Acupuncture, supplements, Chinese herbs, body work and stress reduction techniques.

Acupuncture:
I use a combination of the Yu Lining and Steiner impediment protocol for lining issues. The Yu lining was used only with fresh cycle. I have found clinically, providing acupuncture 3-5 times a week for the weeks leading up to transfer better at increasing blood flow. Clients of Acubalance have the opportunity to receive multiple sessions on a weekly basis because of our Acupuncture studio for the maximum cost of two sessions. So 5 treatments still cost the same as two sessions. You may want to communicate with your local practitioner to see if they have a special fee for coming 4 times a week?

Supplements
1. L-arginine, an amino acid available in supplement form, may dilate clitoral blood vessels, increasing flow to erogenous zones and helping to improve arousal. Hence it increases blood flow to the reproductive "zone". Beneficial for both men and women. Please note it feeds the herpes virus so if you have herpes you maybe at risk of breaking out by taking this supplement. http://www.acubalance.ca/content/l-arginine-treatment-vitro-fertilizatio...
2. Omega 3 fatty acid (animal source) - Some evidence suggests that people with certain circulatory problems, such as varicose veins, may benefit from the consumption of EPA and DHA, which may stimulate blood circulation, increase the breakdown of fibrin, a compound involved in clot and scar formation, and, in addition, may reduce blood pressure. At Acubalance we carry the brand Nutra sea which also contains Vit D3 along with the EPA and DHA.

Custom Chinese herb formula

There is no ONE SPECIFIC formula for lining. We treat the underlying imbalance that is leading to thin and/or poor quality lining. This could be "Blood deficiency", "Blood Stasis", Qi Stagnation, "Cold uterus", and the list goes on. Our approach is to address the underlying imbalance so that circulation is corrects and improved to the lining.

Body work
1. Myan Abdominal massage
2. Femoral massage - The link takes you to a page where you can download instructions for doing femoral massage

Stress Reduction
Perceived stress activates that fight or flight response and redirects blood away from the reproductive system. So implementing stress reducing techniques can indirectly increase blood flow by reducing the affects of stress

   1.   acupuncture
   ◦   http://www.acubalance.ca/integrating-acupuncture-ivf-vancouver-reduce-stress-and-increase-pregnancy-rates
   ◦   http://www.acubalance.ca/there-connection-between-stress-and-infertility
   ◦   http://www.acubalance.ca/acupuncture-reduces-protein-linked-stress-first-its-kind-animal-study
   2.   Self hypnosis and guided imagery for relaxation
   3.   Hypnotherapy
   4.   Yoga

I think acupuncture is a great approach to increasing blood flow to your reproductive system

Resources/Blogs and Q&A on thin lining
http://www.acubalance.ca/improving-thin-uterine-lining
http://www.acubalance.ca/thin-lining-infertility-corrected-3-months-acup...
http://www.acubalance.ca/fertility-forum/thin-lining-despite-estrogen-su...
http://www.acubalance.ca/pilot-study-evaluating-combination-acupuncture-...
http://www.acubalance.ca/content/stress-female-infertility-link
http://www.acubalance.ca/reduction-blood-flow-impedance-uterine-arteries...
http://www.acubalance.ca/content/l-arginine-treatment-vitro-fertilizatio...

If you are reading this and you live in the Vancouver area please feel free to join me in my monthly presentations where we discuss how to optimize your fertility and I answer your questions to the best of my ability.
Lorne Brown

The Acubalance team offers free 15 min consults to find out if Chinese medicine and acupuncture is something that can help you.

Coffee and Fertility

Ryan — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 09:06:05 -0800

Over the holidays I have picked up a few bad habits, one of them being a coffee a day. I truly enjoy the flavor of this hot cup in the mornings. I have always "preached" in my practice for women (and men) to steer clear of coffee for it's negative effects. I have done a little bit more research trying to find a loop hole in which I can allow coffee back into my diet on a regular basis. I have come across a few more studies.

A - study referenced by Drs. Larry Dulgosz, Michael B. Brachs, Yale University School of Medicine - Epidemiologic Reviews - Vol. 14, pg 83, 1992

In this study of almost 2,000 women from Conneticuit researchers found the likley hood of infertility was 55% greater in women drinking 1 cup of coffee per day. Women who drank more than 3 cups of coffee per day were 176% more likley to experience infertility.

B - Study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in Dec of 1984

This study showed how coffee reduces blood flow to the brain. Healthy college volunteers were given a similar amount of caffeine found in 1 cup of coffee. 30 minutes after blood flow to the brain was shown to have 20-25% less blood flow.

So for me, the coffee per day habit has stopped.

I generally promote a decrease in coffee for any couple trying to concieve. A few cups of coffee per week is probably not going to be much of a detriment but coffee on a daily basis can cause problems.

Women and Men following the
Acubalance Fertility Diet overall feel great and increase their likleyhood of concieving. This diet not only encourages the decrease in coffee and caffienated beverages but a whole food diet.

For more information about what you can do to naturally and effectively increase your chances to concieve please look at our free fertility diet linked in the paragraph above or call for a free 15 minute phone consultation.

Dr. Ryan Funk, Dr.TCM
FABORM
www.Acubalance.ca
Email: Ryan [at] acubalance [dot] ca

Dr Funks Blog - Click Here