In the fertility clinic, stress is huge.  Many women, who are already stressed out from daily life, suffer the greatly added stresses of not being able to conceive.  Chinese Medicine understands the role of mood and emotions in the menstrual cycle.  Western medicine recognizes the “hypothalamic, pituitary ovarian axis.”  It is hard to imagine the brain playing no role in our reproductive health.  In fact, stress is often the fertility patients main secondary complaint.

Stress plays a major role in back pain, especially upper back pain and neck pain.  The “fight or flight response” come into play when we feel “under attack.”  We instinctively tighten up those muscles that would protect our vulnerable neck area.  When animals fight, they bite.  I can’t tell you how many times I see “jaw clenching, or grinding” checked off on the intake chart. 

After being set off by stress, one condition gives rise to another.  Tension headaches may follow the previous example.  Tense low back muscles are more easily pulled, and sprained.  These low back injuries may seem to come out of nowhere.

An acupuncturist should factor in stress whenever they create a treatment plan for a patient.  The effects on a patients stress levels are immediate and sometimes dramatic.  Some points have a very direct effect.  Certain acupuncture points have been shown to stimulate the brains secretion of natural opiates  These have a calming, pain reliving effect.  The pulse usually slows and relaxes, and the blood pressure usually goes down.

There is a very profound calming effect from the insertion of an acupuncture needle, that most people will notice shortly after they begin acupuncture treatments.  Even simply treating tender muscle spasms on the back or neck will usually leave the patient melting on the table, reluctant to get up.

Although acupuncture can help mitigate the effects of stress on the body, we ultimately need to counter stress with proper relaxation, recreation, exercise and sleep.  I refer to this method as “relaxation, recreation and meditation,” which will the the subject of a future article.

Some patients come in to the acupuncture clinic with a number of charts, which is great. If you have never done it before, you will need a regular digital thermometer. Any kind is good, as long as it gives tenths of a degree. The other thing you will need is a chart. You may down load them here free to print out from my resource page. It has places to note everything about your cycle, such as the days of the month, boxes to check if you are ovulating, and many more important details.

Start charting on day 1 of your cycle (first day of your menses). The temperature needs to be taken first thing upon waking, before you get up, go to the rest room, or start moving about. It is important to note that you will need to take you temperature around the same time each day. If you take your temperature at different times each day, you will get false readings.

After a month goes by, you will end up with a nice chart, which can tell us many things about your body. It can confirm if ovulation did happen that month, and about when it did. It can give us some indication on the strength of your progesterone levels, after you have ovulated. It can help an acupuncturist know if your treatments, or Chinese herbal therapies are working. And if you miss your menses, it can help indicate if you are pregnant.

Using 361 male subjects, the study found that the more hours the men spent talking on cell phones, the greater the percentage of abnormal sperm.  How cell phones could alter sperm quality was not known, only that there appears to be an association with heavy cell phone use.

In advising fertility patients at our San Diego clinic, I recommend to our male patients  to avoid carrying cell phones in their front pockets, or belts.  Now, I am inclined to ask them to reduce excessive talking on them if they can.  Although I am not convinced of the safety of Blue Tooth devices, they are probably a degree safer, and allow you to keep the more powerful phone away from your body.  Since the pituitary gland in your brain is considered the “master gland” it would best to expose it to as little electromagnetic radiation as possible.

Low morphology is becoming an increasing factor with couples experiencing infertility.  My concern is that the advent of the iphone, and other such devices, will only encourage longer exposure to cellphone radiation.

Consider Chinese Dietary Therapy:  If your daily meals resemble the “typical American diet,” chances are that the foods you are eating run counter to what Eastern medicine would consider the optimal diet for fertility.  Even so called “health foods” such fruit smoothies are a poor choice according to Chinese dietary principals.  Many American women consume a diet loaded with cold, sweet drinks, raw salads, excessive fats and maintain an irregular eating patterns.  This can create a sluggish, bloated digestive system, excessive mucus, poor circulation and coldness in the uterus.

Cut down on coffee:  Drinking coffee can over stimulate the kidneys.  In Chinese Medicine, the strength of the kidneys plays a vital role in the health of the overall reproductive system.  In western medicine we know that an over stimulation of the adrenals glands, can adversely affect cortisol levels and your fertility.  Green tea makes an excellent substitute for coffee containing a much smaller amount of caffeine.  In addition, you avoid all the milk and sugar normally consumed in a latte.

Exercise:  With exercise, it is usually a case of too much, or not enough.  If you are a lean fitness fanatic who has had a problem with amenorrhea, you may be consuming too much of your bodies energy needed for reproduction.  If you are noticing you are gaining weight, fatigued and prefer the couch to getting out and moving, you will defiantly benefit from a moderate exercise program.  Exercise moves the blood, increases the energy levels and prevents the formation of fats around the abdomen.  Obesity is suspected as a factor in lower ovarian function.

Proper rest and relaxation:  The harder you work, or the more you exercise, the more rest and sleep you need.  If you don’t give yourself time to recuperate you reserves, you won’t have the extra energy needed to promote pregnancy, and later bring a baby to term.  “Relaxation” means taking some downtime from frenetic daily activity.  Certain exercise such as Tai chi and Yoga count, as they have a very calming and balancing effect on the nervous system. You can also accomplish nearly the very same thing by doing hobbies that you love, reading a book or just “veging out.”

Develop a positive mental outlook:  Having a history of fertility problems usually brings with it a fair amount of mental baggage.  It is very difficult to avoid the monthly, mental roller coaster, and not to succumb to depression, if the cycle passes without achieving the goal.  However, it is vital to view fertility enhancement as a longer-term project, rather then a monthly mission in order to avoid burnout.  Mental states such as anxiety, obsessive thinking and depression have a counterproductive effect on the balance of the, hormones and the nervous system. 

Make the most of your acupuncture treatments:  When you are having an acupuncture session, view it as part of you relaxation program.  Don’t just lie there thinking about all the things you need to get done, or where you need to speed off to next.  Focus on abdominal breathing, and being here in the moment.  Calm your thoughts and clear you mind.  Take a power nap!  This is your time to heal.

If you are unsure how to relax yourself, or how to calm your busy mind during your session, ask your acupuncturist.  There are some great techniques we can teach you for breathing and general relaxation.  And once learned, these methods can be used anytime throughout your day whenever needed.