Celebrities Use Acupuncture for Infertility

Celebrities Use Acupuncture for Infertility 

Many stars swear by acupuncture to assist in conceiving children and maintaining good health during pregnancy. After battling infertility for years, Celine Dion combined acupuncture with in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to successfully conceive twins.

Dion passed this advice on to Mariah Carey, who attributes acupuncture in helping her conceive her twins in 2010 without having to resort to IVF. Actress Natalie Portman reportedly received acupuncture treatments throughout her pregnancy to reduce stress and promote physical well-being. It is said that "Titanic' actress Kate Winslet relied on acupuncture to alleviate pain while she was giving birth.

Mechanism of Acupuncture in treating Infertility

According to Dr. Sunita Kapur, Senior Consultant, Dept. of Medical Acupuncture at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, acupuncture can stimulate the body's hormonal system to do what it is supposed to - secrete the right hormones at the right time in a woman's cycle.

In  2002, a headline appeared in many newspapers and on internet which said- "Acupuncture could help women undergoing fertility treatment conceive."  It was published by the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, based on studies by German researchers. The researchers stimulated acupuncture points that were meant to "relax the uterus according to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine. Meridians were selected in an effort to create better blood perfusion and more energy in the uterus.  Ear points were used to stabilize the endocrine system, and points designed to promote patients' general relaxation and well-being also were chosen.  

The women in the treated group received one acupuncture session before embryo transfer and one afterwards. Ultrasound testing six weeks after embryo transfer revealed that almost twice as many women from the acupuncture group than from the untreated group became pregnant. The two groups and their embryos were quite similar in all respects.

Another study by Cornell University, published in the December 2002 issue of Fertility and Sterility, reported, " The peripheral impact of acupuncture in improving uterine artery blood flow and hence endometrial thickness...provides encouraging data regarding its potential positive effect on implantation of embryo."  Men also can benefit from the pituitary stimulating effects of acupuncture.  Acupuncture treatments can improve the concentration, volume, motility and quality of sperms.

Dr. Sunita Kapur, herself a western medical doctor, now only practices Acupuncture and treats various types of disorders leading to male & female infertility in New Delhi, India. Polycystic ovarian syndrome, luteal phase defects, advanced maternal age, immunological reactions, endometriosis, fibroids, premature ovarian failures can be taken care of by acupuncture.  The success rate of conception with or without assisted reproductive techniques, becomes high after acupuncture treatment.

Acupuncture Efficacy and Support

Acupuncture has been used in China for thousands of years, as an integral part of medical treatment. Over the years acupuncture has become a respected treatment option in the West, although Eastern explanations of acupuncture differ from the explanations provided by Western scientists. Traditional Chinese medicine says that each body flows with energy called Qi. Poor health results when the Qi becomes blocked and is unable to flow properly. Acupuncture is a way to balance the Qi and keep it flowing by inserting thin needles into specific points of the body. Western scientists describe acupuncture as the stimulation of specific points in order to elicit a biochemical result.

Millions of people have claimed that acupuncture has healed them of numerous ailments, but up till recently it was thought of as an alternative form of medicine that was inferior to Western medicine. This view has changed as more scientific studies have been conducted to learn more about exactly how acupuncture works on the body. A study published in the Journal of NeuroImage described how researchers used brain imaging to show that acupuncture causes an increased binding availability of opioid receptors in the brain, similar to how pain killers work in humans. The results of other respected scientific studies have led to the U.S. National Institute of Health (NIH) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare acupuncture as a safe and effective treatment option for a wide range of ailments.

Acupuncture for Wellness

For a number of celebrities, acupuncture is a regular part of their health and wellness routine. Jim Carey has been quoted as saying that regular acupuncture treatments have "led to a marked change in my physical vitality and my general state of well-being." Other stars using acupuncture as a way to maintain health and energy levels include Lucy Lui, Sandra Bullock, and Matt Damon.

Sports Acupuncture

The popularity of acupuncture is not confined to Hollywood. Many superstar athletes receive acupuncture treatments as a means to recover faster from injuries.  The New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants both have acupuncturists on staff to treat players. Dwayne Wade, star NBA player, relies on acupuncture treatments to soothe knee pain. Pro athletes, who need their bodies to be in optimal condition, swear by acupuncture treatments. In fact, there are now acupuncturists on site at both the Winter and Summer Olympics.

Dr. Raman Kapur is a renowned Medical Acupuncturist, widely recognized for developing the practice of scientific Acupuncture in India and curing many patients suffering from intractable diseases.  He is the recipient of the first "PADMA SHRI" in Medical Acupuncture awarded by the Hon'ble President of India Smt. Pratibha Patil, on 5th May, 2008. 

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