People often want to know how what I do is different from conventional medicine. The difference really is fundamental, but that doesn't mean that what I do is incompatible with conventional medical treatment. In fact, my fertility patients who use conventional treatments routinely exceed conventional expectations in terms of response to medications and pregnancy rates.
The foundation of my approach is simple -- Life Creates Life. Nourish the body with what it needs and it quite naturally and easily heals and balances itself.
A body that is in crisis mode cannot heal because it is too concerned with protecting itself. This is a reactive state where even small stressors provoke large scale responses. These large scale responses feed a vicious cycle where even beneficial processes are short-circuited as the body shifts its resources to protect itself from further attack. Each perceived threat amplifies this overreaction mechanism more and more, continually depleting the vital resources until the system begins to collapse.
So, I start with assessing each patient from a perspective of how to decrease this alarm state and begin to re-establish the body's natural healing patterns. For some patients, this starts with a program of detoxification, for others it must first start with foundational, therapeutic nutrition, and still others a combination of both simultaenously.
In Chinese Medicine terms, this means we must clear the pathogen while we nourish and replenish the Jing (healing essence). If the Jing is weak, the body won't be able to detox because detoxification also takes energy. But, if the Jing is strong, we can clear the pathogen without fear of causing terrible side-effects or toxic overload of Liver and Kidneys.
In hormonal terms, a body that is overreactive is giving itself mixed signals, and the communication between glands is muddled. It is like static on a radio -- you can hear a little bit of what is playing, but not enough to discern what it is. Chronic stress and reactivity do this to the network of glands that communicate in the intricate steps of a normal fertility cycle.
Am I saying that detoxification and nutritional rejuvenation are the cure for all hormonal and fertility problems? No, of course not. But, I am saying that the presence of toxic overload coupled with the absence of proper nutrition means that your body has virtually no chance to overcome ANY imbalance, whether it is affecting your hormones, fertility, or anything else.
So, ask yourself, am I giving my body a fair chance to be well? Am I making nutritional and lifestyle choices that nourish my body, mind, and soul?
If the answer is no, then regardless of what hormone or other conventional treatments you seek out, your chances of successful results (i.e. less hot flashes, pregnancy and delivery, more energy) will be limited at best.
Chris Axelrad, M.S.O.M., L. Ac., FABORM, director of the Axelrad Clinic for Natural Fertility Enhancement and Women's Health,
is a recognized expert in women's health and fertility
enhancement using Traditional Chinese Medicine integrated with conventional medical knowledge. He is known for his
easy-going manner and sincere compassion for his patients.
Mr. Axelrad provides coaching and support to fertility patients across the country via his remote treatment programs, and he also maintains a busy full-time specialty clinical practice in Houston, TX.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Post-IVF Recovery - Make the Most of It
If you are an IVF patient who recently had a cycle that did not result in pregnancy, you were most likely told by your R.E. to wait two to three months, and try again. Common sense would dictate that it is wise to give your body a rest after the IVF cycle, because in essence your body has just finished working in "overdrive" mode, pushed harder than it has ever been pushed by the powerful drugs.
This can often be agonizing because you most likely did the IVF for the purpose of "getting on with it". Now, someone is telling you to wait?
This "waiting period", however, is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your future fertile potential, especially if you incorporate some gentle detoxification and rejuvenation routines.
Conventional thinking sees fertile potential over time as an absolute inverse equation, like this:
More Time = Less Fertility
However, looking deeper, we can see this is an oversimplification of the situation.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we speak of the Jing -- the Fertile Essence -- that is at the root of all creation and transformation in the human body, including cell division, manufacturing of vital substances (i.e. hormones and neurotransmitters), healing potential, and reproduction.
In the physical sense, Jing has a limited supply. In other words, you use it, you lose it.
But, on a spiritual level, Jing has an infinite supply and can be replenished and conserved in a very simple -- rest, tranquility, calm, stillness.
Most of us haven't slowed down for an extended period of time for our entire adult lives. It has been a constant bouncing from one activity to another since we became independent adults. This is a constant drain on our Jing, and it may actually be the reason you are having difficulty conceiving in the first place.
So, the BEST thing you can do after a failed IVF cycle is to slow down, cultivate some genuine patience, and give your body a break. Create a schedule and an environment that emphasizes rest, tranquility, calm, and stillness. Go to bed early each night. Instead of watching TV when you get home, dim the lights and listen to some peaceful, calming music. Trim your schedule to allow for more quality time with your partner and children if you have them.
And, invest in some one-on-one coaching to optimize your nutritional plan around replenishing your reproductive potential. Through vitamins and other nutraceuticals, along with targeted herbal support and Acupuncture, you will go a LONG way towards making the most of your two to three month break.
Conventional medicine may not think this will do anything at all to help you. But, ask yourself on an intuitive, root common sense level, and you will KNOW this is a path worth taking.
Until next time...
Chris Axelrad, M.S.O.M., L. Ac., FABORM, director of the Axelrad Clinic for Natural Fertility Enhancement and Women's Health,
is a recognized expert in women's health and fertility
enhancement using Traditional Chinese Medicine integrated with conventional medical knowledge. He is known for his
easy-going manner and sincere compassion for his patients.
Mr. Axelrad provides coaching and support to fertility patients across the country via his remote treatment programs, and he also maintains a busy full-time specialty clinical practice in Houston, TX.
This can often be agonizing because you most likely did the IVF for the purpose of "getting on with it". Now, someone is telling you to wait?
This "waiting period", however, is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your future fertile potential, especially if you incorporate some gentle detoxification and rejuvenation routines.
Conventional thinking sees fertile potential over time as an absolute inverse equation, like this:
More Time = Less Fertility
However, looking deeper, we can see this is an oversimplification of the situation.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we speak of the Jing -- the Fertile Essence -- that is at the root of all creation and transformation in the human body, including cell division, manufacturing of vital substances (i.e. hormones and neurotransmitters), healing potential, and reproduction.
In the physical sense, Jing has a limited supply. In other words, you use it, you lose it.
But, on a spiritual level, Jing has an infinite supply and can be replenished and conserved in a very simple -- rest, tranquility, calm, stillness.
Most of us haven't slowed down for an extended period of time for our entire adult lives. It has been a constant bouncing from one activity to another since we became independent adults. This is a constant drain on our Jing, and it may actually be the reason you are having difficulty conceiving in the first place.
So, the BEST thing you can do after a failed IVF cycle is to slow down, cultivate some genuine patience, and give your body a break. Create a schedule and an environment that emphasizes rest, tranquility, calm, and stillness. Go to bed early each night. Instead of watching TV when you get home, dim the lights and listen to some peaceful, calming music. Trim your schedule to allow for more quality time with your partner and children if you have them.
And, invest in some one-on-one coaching to optimize your nutritional plan around replenishing your reproductive potential. Through vitamins and other nutraceuticals, along with targeted herbal support and Acupuncture, you will go a LONG way towards making the most of your two to three month break.
Conventional medicine may not think this will do anything at all to help you. But, ask yourself on an intuitive, root common sense level, and you will KNOW this is a path worth taking.
Until next time...
Chris Axelrad, M.S.O.M., L. Ac., FABORM, director of the Axelrad Clinic for Natural Fertility Enhancement and Women's Health,
is a recognized expert in women's health and fertility
enhancement using Traditional Chinese Medicine integrated with conventional medical knowledge. He is known for his
easy-going manner and sincere compassion for his patients.
Mr. Axelrad provides coaching and support to fertility patients across the country via his remote treatment programs, and he also maintains a busy full-time specialty clinical practice in Houston, TX.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Are You Sure That Stress Doesn't Cause Infertility?
Today I was reading an article on RESOLVE's website. RESOLVE is a national organization for infertility help. I have worked with them before, and their group of volunteers, most of whom have had their own struggles with infertility, is second to none. I even did a conference call for them that I found incredibly rewarding and enlightening.
The article I was reading is by Alice Domar, Ph.D., a leading authority in the field of mind-body techniques, with particular emphasis on infertility. By the time I got to the third paragraph, I was shocked, to say the least. I could not agree less with the following statement she makes:
"While stress does not cause infertility, infertility most definitely causes stress."
I am curious to know how Dr. Domar is able to state, as a matter of fact, that stress DOES NOT cause infertility. All of my experience, and a very large amount of scientific and clinical research, completely and unequivocally refutes that statement. So, Dr. Domar, if you are reading this blog post, I invite your response.
I'm not saying stress IS ALWAYS a cause of infertility, but I think it is a reach to say that it never is, and this is what she seems to imply.
Here's what we DO know:
1. About 10% - 20% of infertility cases are "unexplained", meaning that nobody knows the reason why approximately 2 in 10 infertile couples are having problems. There is a medical term for people who are infertile despite the absence of physical or functional markers for infertility. It is very technically labelled "Unexplained Infertility". It essentially means, "We don't know why you are infertile."
2. The great scientific and medical minds have already "proven" and "accepted" that stress plays a role in several major diseases including heart disease and stroke risk. There is also a scientifically proven link between high stress levels and elevated prolactin. Prolactin is a hormone that, if high, can make it completely and unequivocally impossible for a woman to become pregnant.
3. The mechanisms of how stress changes the balance of hormones, neurotransmitters, metabolic pathways, and blood flow in the body are documented and proven. None of these changes are beneficial to fertility.
So, I want to tell my readers to please think twice before buying into what Dr. Domar is stating as fact. While she may believe that managing your stress will only help you cope with the side-effects of the infertility such as financial and marital strain, I would like to encourage you to learn relaxation techniques because they can only help to improve your fertility. In the next post, I will go into detail about just how this is true.
Chris Axelrad, M.S.O.M., L. Ac., FABORM, director of the Axelrad Clinic for Natural Fertility Enhancement and Women's Health,
is a recognized expert in women's health and fertility
enhancement using Traditional Chinese Medicine integrated with conventional medical knowledge. He is known for his
easy-going manner and sincere compassion for his patients.
Mr. Axelrad provides coaching and support to fertility patients across the country via his remote treatment programs, and he also maintains a busy full-time specialty clinical practice in Houston, TX.
The article I was reading is by Alice Domar, Ph.D., a leading authority in the field of mind-body techniques, with particular emphasis on infertility. By the time I got to the third paragraph, I was shocked, to say the least. I could not agree less with the following statement she makes:
"While stress does not cause infertility, infertility most definitely causes stress."
I am curious to know how Dr. Domar is able to state, as a matter of fact, that stress DOES NOT cause infertility. All of my experience, and a very large amount of scientific and clinical research, completely and unequivocally refutes that statement. So, Dr. Domar, if you are reading this blog post, I invite your response.
I'm not saying stress IS ALWAYS a cause of infertility, but I think it is a reach to say that it never is, and this is what she seems to imply.
Here's what we DO know:
1. About 10% - 20% of infertility cases are "unexplained", meaning that nobody knows the reason why approximately 2 in 10 infertile couples are having problems. There is a medical term for people who are infertile despite the absence of physical or functional markers for infertility. It is very technically labelled "Unexplained Infertility". It essentially means, "We don't know why you are infertile."
2. The great scientific and medical minds have already "proven" and "accepted" that stress plays a role in several major diseases including heart disease and stroke risk. There is also a scientifically proven link between high stress levels and elevated prolactin. Prolactin is a hormone that, if high, can make it completely and unequivocally impossible for a woman to become pregnant.
3. The mechanisms of how stress changes the balance of hormones, neurotransmitters, metabolic pathways, and blood flow in the body are documented and proven. None of these changes are beneficial to fertility.
So, I want to tell my readers to please think twice before buying into what Dr. Domar is stating as fact. While she may believe that managing your stress will only help you cope with the side-effects of the infertility such as financial and marital strain, I would like to encourage you to learn relaxation techniques because they can only help to improve your fertility. In the next post, I will go into detail about just how this is true.
Chris Axelrad, M.S.O.M., L. Ac., FABORM, director of the Axelrad Clinic for Natural Fertility Enhancement and Women's Health,
is a recognized expert in women's health and fertility
enhancement using Traditional Chinese Medicine integrated with conventional medical knowledge. He is known for his
easy-going manner and sincere compassion for his patients.
Mr. Axelrad provides coaching and support to fertility patients across the country via his remote treatment programs, and he also maintains a busy full-time specialty clinical practice in Houston, TX.
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