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Pregnancy and In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Edward Scarlett Cert. Ac. Dipl. Ac.

Acupuncture Pregnancy and In Vitro Fertilization

Pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time of great emotional and physical change. It is also a time when it’s more important than ever to care for your well-being. This is where Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and acupuncture can help you meet the unique challenges during your pregnancy. Some of the symptoms that be helped include; Back and sciatica pain, breech birth, constipation, edema (swelling from fluid retention) excessive lactation, fatigue, heartburn, hemorrhoids, labor and delivery, morning sickness, and psychological problems.

 

A specialized treatment plan will be tailored to your specific needs. If your due date has passed, acupuncture can be successful with inducing labor. Western medicine for inducing labor involves the use of medication. Acupuncture and acupressure can help by controlling your pain, calming your mind, and reducing stress during delivery.

 

After baby has arrived, it’s important to properly recover. Acupuncture can help you regain your strength, boost your immune system, and provide relief if you experience postpartum depression. At this point it is important to discuss an ongoing treatment plan to maintain your wellness.

 

In Vitro Fertilization (IVF)

Treatment for infertility with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) dates back over 2000 years. In my practice I have had a great amount of success in this area, especially with women in which traditional (IVF) methods alone have failed. Research done at Cornell Medical Center has concluded that acupuncture will: Increase blood flow to the uterus, realty improving the chanced of an ovum implanting on the uterine wall, reduce anxiety therefor reducing the secretion of hormones that decrease fertility, normalize the endocrine system which regulates ovulation, positively affect the hypothalamic-pitutary-ovarian axis which plays a key role in fertility, regulate the menstrual cycle. Spasmed fallopian tubes can be unspasmed by acupuncture and combined with herbal therapy can help with repeated pregnancy loss, idiopathic infertility, elevate follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), leuteal phase defect, hyperprolactinemia, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), men with sperm-DNA-fragmentation, increase levels of serum cortisol (CORT) and (PRL). Again, research has proven that an increase in these levels greatly increase fertility and successful implantation of an embryo.

As one can see, there are many factors that are involved in the process from conception to delivery.  Fertilization and a healthy pregnancy is a very complex process. This is why I take a detailed and comprehensive clinical evaluation of the individual patient and compose a treatment plan specific to that person. For more information, call my office at 561-272-7816.

Edward Scarlett (Cert. Ac. Dipl. Ac)         Alive and Well Acupuncture Clinic Delray Beach, FL

Heart Health and Acupuncture

The cardiovascular system consists of the heart and blood vessels and is responsible for carrying nutrients and oxygen to the tissues and removing carbon dioxide and other waste from them.  Heart disease includes conditions affecting the heart, such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and congenital heart disease.

Despite dramatic medical advances over the past fifty years, heart disease remains a leading cause of death globally and the number one cause of death in the United States.

By integrating acupuncture and Oriental medicine into your heart healthy lifestyle, you can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as 80%.  Steps to prevention include managing high blood pressure and cholesterol, quitting smoking, eating healthy, maintaining a healthy weight, physical activity, reducing stress and improved sleep – all of which can be helped with acupuncture and Oriental medicine.

1. Manage High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure makes the heart work harder, increasing its oxygen demands and contributing to angina. This excessive pressure can lead to an enlarged heart (cardiomegaly), as well as damage to blood vessels in the kidneys and brain. It increases the risk of heart attacks, stroke and kidney disease.

Acupuncture has been found to be particularly helpful in lowering blood pressure. By applying acupuncture needles at specific sites along the wrist, inside the forearm or in the leg, researchers at the Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, were able to stimulate the release of opioids, which decreases the heart’s activity and thus its need for oxygen. This, in turn, lowers blood pressure.

2. Quit Smoking
Most people associate cigarette smoking with breathing problems and lung cancer. But did you know that smoking is also a major cause of coronary artery disease? In fact, about twenty percent of all deaths from heart disease are directly related to cigarette smoking.

Acupuncture has shown to be an effective treatment for smoking. Acupuncture treatments for smoking cessation focus on jitters, cravings, irritability, and restlessness; symptoms that people commonly complain about when they quit. It also aids in relaxation and detoxification.

3. Maintain a Healthy Weight

Obesity is associated with diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, all of which increase the risk of developing heart disease, but studies have shown that excess body weight itself (and not just the associated medical conditions) can also lead to heart failure. Even if you are entirely healthy otherwise, being overweight still places you at a greater risk of developing heart failure.

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine are an excellent adjunctive tool when it comes to losing weight. They can help to energize the body, maximize the absorption of nutrients, regulate elimination, control overeating, suppress the appetite, and reduce anxiety.

4. Reduce Stress
Stress is a normal part of life. But if left unmanaged, stress can lead to emotional, psychological, and even physical problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, chest pains, or irregular heart beats. Medical researchers aren’t sure exactly how stress increases the risk of heart disease. Stress itself might be a risk factor, or it could be that high levels of stress make other risk factors worse. For example, if you are under stress, your blood pressure goes up, you may overeat, you may exercise less, and you may be more likely to smoke.

Numerous studies have demonstrated the substantial benefits of acupuncture in the treatment of stress, anxiety and mental health. In addition to acupuncture, Oriental medicine offers a whole gamut of tools and techniques that can be integrated into your life to keep stress in check. These tools include Tui Na, Qi Gong exercises, herbal medicine, dietary therapy, meditations and acupressure that you can administer at home.

5. Improve Sleep
Poor sleep has been linked with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart failure, heart attacks, stroke, diabetes, and obesity. Researchers have shown that getting at least eight hours of sleep is needed for good heart health and getting less than eight hours of sleep can put you at a greater risk for developing heart disease.

Acupuncture has shown great success treating a wide array of sleep problemswithout any of the side effects of prescription or over-the-counter sleep aids. The acupuncture treatments for problems sleeping focus on the root disharmony within the body that is causing the insomnia. Therefore, those who use acupuncture for insomnia achieve not only better sleep, but also an overall improvement of physical and mental health.

Contact an acupuncturist in your area for a consultation to see how acupuncture and Oriental medicine can assist you with your heart health and help you to live a long, healthy life.

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WellFest

WellFest

WellFest-2015-We'll-Be-ThereAt Alive and Well Acupuncture Clinic we are committed to providing our patients with a proven, natural ways to promote healing and overall health and wellness. A big part of our mission is to educate and inform people of the benefits of acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine as a stand alone treatment or as a complement to traditional western medicine. Come see us at WellFest and Dr. Scarlett can provide you with a personal consultation and recommend a treatment plan geared specifically to your health and wellness goals. If you would like to schedule a free consultation before then, please call our office at 561-272-7816.

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Being Stationary Creates Pain

Stagnation leads to inflammation

One of the more important things I have noticed over the last five years, is how many people are at jobs that cause them to be immobile for up to eight hours a day. Many people work on computers, at administrative and executive jobs. This kind of immobilization and stagnation definitely leads to inflammation in the body. I am seeing more and more people with low back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain, elbow, wrist and hand pain. The body was designed to move in order to optimize function. When people sit for a long period of time, breathing changes and metabolic activity slows down. They also experience excessive compression on specific areas of the muscular-skeletal system. Over a long period of time this contributes to their circulation becoming impaired. This compromise to circulation leads to a build up of metabolic waste which starts to create inflammation in cells of the body.

These acids which are part of the metabolic waste can interfere with nerve conduction. This interference leads to the individual being notified that there’s a problem because a symptom gets created. This symptom is usually pain. The pain is created from a cellular swelling and irritation in the region from an over-usage such as standing in prolonged positions. This is very significant because this situation can lead to a degeneration in the body. This may seem like a simple concept of ‘how pain is created’, but once again I am noticing clinically, over the last 4-5 years, that people are coming in with pain syndromes that are caused from an aspect of being too stagnant. People are no longer exercising or moving enough or even correctly. We lead busy lives forget or are unaware of what the body needs in order to move freely and optimally without pain.

Once again, it is essential to take breaks through out the day. Take a 20 min. walk or do some stretching or at the beginning or end of a day go to an exercise class. Walking, running, swimming, yoga and dancing are vital to lubrication, circulation and rejuvenation. When people come to me with pain that has been caused by stagnation, I use a combination of acupressure and heat to increase the circulation to the area. this gets the blood and lymph to mobilize out metabolic waste that has accummulated due to the irritation that was created in the area. I then apply acupuncture as a way to open the channels, balance the meridians, increase circulation to the area and through increased circulation eliminate inflammation.

The human body is not designed for immobilization, rigidity or being in stationery positions for long periods of time. This creates swelling, rigidness, fixated muscles ligaments and tendons and overall stagnation. The body is in a constant state of motion. Anytime we interfere with movement we are made aware of this through these symptoms.

Let’s get up and move move move.

Live and Be Well,

Edward

A Call To Change

The Winter Solstice occurred today at 12:30 am EST. During this celebration of Light and Rebirth of the Sun, we are invited to plant seeds of intentions of what we would like to manifest in the coming solar year. It occurred to me that this season is an optimal time for CHANGE.
A patient asked me the other day if I see more stress in people creating illness due to the ‘time’ of year. I thought about this and realized that what I am seeing is that there is a significant amount of change occurring in the environment that is definitely causing stress in people and thereby, creating illness. By this I mean, marriages are being challenged with divorce and separation. Work environments are more stressful because of global economic reasons. People are over reacting to the ‘call for change’. Anxiety, fear, worry and depression are more prevalent. As a healer, Doctor and business owner, I am reminded over and over aain of the importance of remaining centered, stable and aware. The challenges are constant and when I resist or see other’s resist, physical, mental and emotional suffering occurs.
People including myself, must clean up our unfinished business of the past whether, fiscal, personal, or work related. It is important to handle and commit to new beginnings and remove oneself from the compulsion to continue old patterns. I see in my life and in patient’s lives, that if we do this many gifts of health, love and financial blessings will occur. This is not just an idea to me it is validated on a daily basis from working with hundreds of patients a month and being part of the call to change myself.
We can do it, together!!

Edward

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