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Hormonal Imbalance

Fertility, Healthy Menstrual Cycle, Hormonal Imbalance, Infertility

How do Acupuncture and Chinese medicine help post-pill amenorrhea and achieve pregnancy?

What is post-pill amenorrhea?

Post-pill amenorrhea is defined as the loss of menstrual periods for at least 6 months after stopping birth control pills. This situation is a sign that you have not started ovulating yet, and it can be very frustrating for women who are ready to try to conceive.

Why acupuncture and Chinese medicine can help?

The good news is acupuncture and Chinese medicine focus on helping the body correct itself and improve the function and overall health of the entire reproductive system.

What is the natural hormonal cycle?

The normal menstrual cycle consists of several distinct phases.  Each phase correlates to physical changes before pregnancy. These phases are linked with fluctuations in the levels of certain hormones during ovulation and menstruation.

What does birth control pills do to your cycle?

Birth control pills are a synthetic form of the hormones estrogen and progesterone.  Pills artificially alter the normal hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian feeding mechanism and affect the entire body’s natural mode.

What to expect after coming off the pills?

Most of the time after stopping pills, the synthetic hormones are gone, and your body needs to start again on its own to function.  Unfortunately, some women fail to resume a normal rhythm, which means the endocrine system does not re-establish its natural body function.  Eventually, they may face difficulties for pregnancy.

How does Chinese medicine explain the cause of post-pill amenorrhea

From the acupuncture and Chinese medicine perspective, liver Qi is fundamental to regulate the interplay of the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian-uterus axis.  Prolonged birth control pills can interrupt natural liver function, and cause liver Qi stagnation.  These result in the cycles do not easily re-establish themselves.

How do acupuncture and Chinese medicine help amenorrhea?

Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can help sooth liver Qi, nourish blood and essence, and remove stagnation; therefore leading an improvement of the reproductive axis, regulating the hormonal interplay, and helping re-establish natural ovulation rhythms.

How does acupuncture & Chinese medicine help achieve pregnancy?

Acupuncture and Chinese medicine is a holistic medicine.  Any common symptoms of post-birth control syndrome include anxiety, depression, mood swings, headaches, migraines, breast tenderness, and abdominal gas or bloating can all be helped.  This holistic approach not only restores normal body cycles but also improves your overall health as you are preparing to conceive, thereby achieving the success of pregnancy.

September 2, 2018
Fertility, Health, Healthy Diet, Hormonal Imbalance, Infertility

Healthy Diet for balancing your hormones

We hope that everyone had a happy holiday and are looking forward to the new year! If your new year resolution is to be healthier, diet is one of the most important ways to change your lifestyle. Below we have listed some general guidelines for a healthy diet that will help balance your hormones. In future posts, we will break down exactly what kind of foods should be eaten.

The three main macronutrients that make up a diet are Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat. All three are important elements of a healthy, well-balanced diet.By basing your meals off one clean protein, healthy fats and vegetables along with the help of Chinese herbs will help your body regulate hormones naturally.

Carbohydrates have long been viewed as the enemy for hormonal imbalances such as those who suffer from PCOS. While it is true that carbohydrates with a high glycemic index(GI) can cause insulin resistance, it is important to have a balanced diet which includes carbohydrates! There are many foods that are low in glycemic index(which means they have low insulin resistance). By focusing on these low GI foods you can still enjoy carbohydrates and balance your hormones. Later, we will break down a list of low glycemic foods.

Protein provides essential amino acids to the body that the body cannot make on its own and must be consumed daily to balance hormones. Protein also decreases the hunger hormone and stimulates the production of hormones that will make you feel fuller faster. For optimal hormone health, experts recommend consuming a minimum of 20-30g. of protein per meal (1).

Fat especially is important in regulating hormones. Since hormones are produced by specific fatty acids and cholesterol, without them the body simply cannot form the correct hormones. Medium chain triglycerides, for example, have been shown to reduce insulin resistance in overweight and diabetic patients. Additionally, consuming healthy fats at every meal will trigger the same hunger hormones as above and will fill you up faster.

For more information on the importance of fertility and diet please read our article on AcupunctureofDallas. If you need help by Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for your fertility please call 972-671-6688. We offer free initial phone consultations.

December 27, 2017
Health, Hormonal Imbalance, Infertility, Stress

How does stress affect reproductive hormones

Everyone knows that stress negatively impacts your health, but how many people realize exactly how much stress may be affecting your reproductive hormones? When your body feels stressed it naturally releases hormones such as cortisol, which is derived primarily from progesterone, a reproductive hormone. Cortisol is similar to another hormone is known as adrenaline(i.e that fight or flight feeling), that might help us escape from danger but can actually prohibit fertility. Prolactin is a hormone that is released by the pituitary gland to inhibit a woman from becoming pregnant while nursing. However, prolactin can also be released in higher levels by the pituitary gland in times of stress.

Unfortunately, much of the stress we experience in modern times have nothing to do with that fight or flight response that triggered the above hormones. Most of our stressors arise from how we view problems instead of any real danger. For instance, we may be triggered by overworking, environmental pollution, worry, anxiety and other emotions. Under constant stress, our body does not deliver the necessary blood to the reproductive organs.

Next one we will discuss how Acupuncture reduces stress and balances the reproductive hormones. If you have any questions please visit our website to read more about Stress and Fertility.

 

January 5, 2017
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