Acupuncture helps improve the quality and quality of sperm in the male partner of couples trying to conceive.
Alternative Treatment May Help Male Infertility Problems, Reports Study by Fertility and Sterility Journal
NEW YORK, Aug. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Acupuncture may help some men overcome infertility problems by improving the quality of their sperm, according to a new study. Researchers found five weeks of acupuncture treatment reduced the number of structural abnormalities in sperm and increased the overall number of normal sperm in a group of men with infertility problems. They say the results suggest that acupuncture may complement traditional infertility treatments and help men reach their full reproductive potential.
Acupuncture May Ease Male Infertility An estimated 10% of men are infertile, and the male partner is a factor in up to 50% of infertile couples, write the researchers. In many cases, the cause of male infertility is unknown. Previous studies of acupuncture and male infertility have suggested that acupuncture can improve sperm production and motility (a measure of sperm movement). In this study, researchers looked at the effects of acupuncture on the structural health of sperm in men with infertility of unknown cause. The findings appear in the July issue of Fertility and Sterility. Twenty-eight infertile men received acupuncture treatments twice a week for five weeks, and 12 received no treatment and served as a comparison group. Researchers analyzed sperm samples at the beginning and end of the study and found significant improvements in sperm quality in the acupuncture group compared with the other group. Acupuncture treatment was associated with fewer structural defects in the sperm and an increase in the number of normal sperm in ejaculate. But other sperm abnormalities, such as immature sperm or sperm death, were unaffected by acupuncture. The researchers write that acupuncture treatment is a simple, noninvasive method that can improve sperm quality.
SOURCE: Pei, J. Fertility and Sterility, July 2005; vol 84: pp 141-147.
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Acupuncture Offers Benefits in Alleviating Breast Cancer Treatment Side-Effects
by: Dave Gabriele, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) A 2008 American study, which appeared in the September issue of The International Journal of Radiation Oncology, examined the effectiveness of acupuncture in treating women coping with the side effects of conventional breast cancer medicine. Eleanor Walker, M.D., a radiation oncologist at the Henry Ford Hospital Department of Radiation Oncology in Detroit, led a team of researchers to compare acupuncture treatment with the common anti-estrogen treatment used to control breast cancer therapy side effects. The side effects, such as hot flashes and depression, affect about 80% of women treated for breast cancer and are usually treated by the pharmaceutical anti-depressant venlafaxine (Effexor). Many breast cancer patients refuse venlafaxine because of its own set of negative side effects.
A combination of Chinese herbal medicine and laparoscopy is the most effective way to treat endometrial ovarian cysts and increase reproductive function.
A study was carried out in Beijing to compare 3 different treatment methods for endometriosis. A group of 152 women with endometrial cysts, were divided into 3 groups: a combined Chinese herbal medicine and laparoscopy group (combination group), a Chinese herbal medicine only group, and a Danazol group. The clinical effectiveness, side effects and reproductive hormones were then compared. The shrinkage and disappearance rate of the cysts, as well as the pregnancy rate were highest in the combination group, and there were few side effects noted. The study concluded that way to treat endometrial ovarian cysts, increasing reproductive function a combination of laparoscopy and Chinese herbal medicine is an effective and causing very few side effects.
Wu Y Hua L (Clinical study on endometrial ovarian cysts treated by integrated laparoscopy and Chinese herbal medicine) Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi, 2000 March, 20 (3): 183-6.
