Welcome! This site can be easily viewed with a PDA or a mobile phone. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Acupuncture assists success of IVF fertility treatments

8 February, 2008

The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) has welcomed the preliminary results of a recent international study published today in the British Medical Journal which found that acupuncture given with embryo transfer can improve rates of pregnancy by 65% in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF).

Head of the British Acupuncture Council Research Committee, Professor Nicky Robinson said: The recent systematic review and meta-analysis of 7 trials, involved 1,336 women undergoing IVF.

“This study suggests that when acupuncture given in conjunction with embryo transfer increases the chance of women becoming pregnant by 65%, in comparison to sham acupuncture or no additional treatment. What this means is that 10 women would need to be treated with acupuncture to bring about one additional pregnancy.”

“It confirms what many of our practitioners and their patients have found, namely that acupuncture can be helpful in this area.”

”At the BAcC, we recognise that our practitioners are treating more and more women for a wide range of fertility issues, including menstrual irregularities and the inability to conceive and our research committee has a comprehensive research study underway, analysing the member’s practice of fertility related conditions.”

The researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and VU University Amsterdam set out to determine whether acupuncture given with embryo transfer improves the rates of pregnancy and live birth among women undergoing IVF.

Acupuncture is a form of oriental therapy and fertility focused acupuncture treatment can help to increase blood flow to the reproductive organs, balance hormone levels, regulate the menstrual cycle and help improve the lining of the uterus and quality of eggs released.

Acupuncture is thought to aid fertility treatments by being able to:

• regulate the menstrual cycle and promote regular ovulation
• regulate the hormones to produce a larger number of follicles
• improve the functions of ovaries to produce better quality eggs
• enhance the vitality of sperm
• relieve the side effects of drugs used in IVF
• increase the thickness of the uterine lining so to encourage successful implantation.

As with all health care treatments, it’s important to find a registered and qualified practitioner. To find a practitioner in your area call the British Acupuncture Council on 020 8735 0400 or visit www.acupuncture.org.uk

BAcC practitioners are available for interview, expert comment
and case histories.

For further press information please contact:

Mandate Communications
Tel: 0207 836 4279

About the BAcC:

The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) has a membership of over 2,800 professionally qualified acupuncturists. It is the UK’s largest professional body for the practice of acupuncture.

BAcC members practise a traditional, holistic style of acupuncture diagnosis and treatment based on a system developed and refined over 2,000 years. To achieve BAcC membership, practitioners must first undertake extensive training in traditional acupuncture (minimum three years full-time or part-time equivalent), which includes physiology, anatomy and other biomedical sciences appropriate to the practice of acupuncture.

What is acupuncture?

Acupuncture is an Oriental therapy that aims to improve the overall wellbeing of the patient, rather than treating specific symptoms in isolation. Traditional Chinese philosophy states that our health is dependent on the body’s motivating energy - known as Qi - moving in a smooth and balanced way through a series of meridians (channels) beneath the skin.

For any number of reasons, Qi may become unbalanced and lead to illness. By inserting fine needles into the channels of energy or Qi, an acupuncturist can stimulate the body’s own healing response and help restore its natural balance.

Breaking in new shoes? It’s a question I often hear, or see asked on the Internet. “What is the best method to break in shoes?”

Lots of people have different answers. Some say stuff your shoes with warm damp newspaper, others say just wear them. Yet others say heat them with a hairdryer and then wear them. Certainly nearly everyone will tell you different method, and believe me over the years I’ve tried quite a few.

I decided to write about the subject today, because I’ve just bought another pair of shoes myself, and of course I need to break them and too. In fact I’ve just run through the process which I’m going to explain to you and I’m wearing my new shoes as I’m writing this article.

Having comfortable shoes is an important part of your health and wellness. Improperly fitting shoes apart from giving you bunions and corns will cause you pain and discomfort throughout the day.

So what is the best method?

Here is the very best method that I have ever found. You need to purchase two heat packs which contain grain, and can be heated in a microwave oven similar to the photograph below. At a pinch they can also be homemade with socks and grain.

It’s really very simple and makes a great deal of sense when you think about it.

You heat both packs together in a microwave for around four minutes. You then hold a pack at one end so the grain falls with gravity and holding one shoe vertically side the top of the now empty sleeve into the toe of the shoe. You then simply level the shoe, and tilt it slightly forwards so the grain flows into the shoe filling the inside completely. Repeat with the other shoe.

This is a much better method than trying to use a hairdryer because you won’t burn or overheat the materials. Because the grain holds a small amount of moisture, the heat and moisture combined with good all round inside contact with the shoe quickly starts to make the leather or other material supple.

Let the shoes sit for two minutes until the shoes feel warm. Then simply put the shoes on and crouch down to flex the material. The shoes will start to conform to the shape of your feet and flex naturally with your feet. Of course at the same time your feet will become nice and warm which is a very pleasant feeling. Walk about for a few moments allowing your shoes to adjust to your feet.

Repeat this process three or four times over about fifteen minutes. I guarantee you will be much happier with your shoes at the end of this time.

Before you actually wear your shoes to work in the mornings for the next few days, reheat the heat packs and fill both shoes for about 5 minutes before you leave the house.

Slip you feet back into your warm supple shoes, and go out to work.

You’ll feel great – trust me!

Tags: new shoes, breaking in shoes, breaking in new shoes



Add to Onlywire

by Jonathan Fashbaugh

It seems we’re never quite happy with the head of hair we were given. Those of us with curly hair envy the sleek, flowing look of straight hair, and those with straight hair wish their hair had our sassy ringlets. Our straight-haired counterparts do not take into account, however, the practicality of curly hair:
· Endless mornings spent removing tangled knots
· Fear of humidity and wind
· The longing to run fingers through your hair
· Days of uncontrollable frizz

Thanks to a new hair straightening technique imported from Japan, it is now possible to permanently escape the curly-hair blues. Known as thermal reconditioning, this process actually penetrates the hair shaft and chemically changes the structure of the hair by introducing amino acids into the hair cortex, where they are heated.

The treated hair remains straight until new hair grows in its place. Depending on how fast your hair grows, the treatment may need to be repeated once every six to eight months. Unlike other harsh hair straightening procedures, these repeated treatments should actually leave the hair in a better, healthier condition over time than it was prior to your first treatment. This is because the Japanese hair straightening system infuses your hair with protein and collagen, leaving it with a sleek, shiny look and a relaxed feel.

Tags: thermal reconditioning, hair straightening