August 26, 2008 San Diego Alive this week moves from the Olympics in Beijing to the traditional Chinese medicine technique of acupressure, where pressure is applied to acupuncture points. The philosophy behind traditional Chinese medicine is that it works with the channels of energy (meridians) that run throughout the human body. In theory, when we suffer an illness or injury, the flow through these channels is disrupted. During a change in seasons, moving from summer to fall for example, our immune systems are often compromised, resulting in colds or the flu. Acupuncture and acupressure work to restore the flow of energy along the meridians, restoring the natural balance of body, mind and spirit.

PEGGY PEATTIE / Union-Tribune Acupuncturist Donna Keefe says the ancient practice of acupressure helps boost the immune system.

For a self-help guide to Acupressure, please download this PDF file.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Acupuncture Center of La Jolla Shares Ancient Fertility Secrets During National Infertility Awareness Week

Donna Keefe, L.Ac., Clinical Director of the Acupuncture Center of La Jolla, will be speaking on the topic of "Enhancing Fertility Naturally" during National Infertility Awareness Week, September 21st through September 29th, 2002. She has been utilizing the Ancient Wisdom of Chinese Medicine to enhance the Fertility process naturally in her La Jolla office since 1989. As a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, she also keeps herself on the cutting edge of Western Medical approaches and is open to the many possibilities and successes leading to fertility.

In the April 2002 edition of the medical journal Fertility and Sterility, a study was published that found that acupuncture increases the chance of pregnancy for women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF). This was no surprise to Donna, having worked with both women and men prior to and after natural ovulation (as well as in combination with IVF), for years and seeing many miracles occur.

Donna Keefe, L.Ac., began her studies of Chinese Medicine in 1985 while searching for her own personal solution to Endometriosis which is one of the leading causes of Infertility. While attending the University of Arizona as a Pre-Med student, Donna found herself struggling with the severe pain and unpredictability of the day to day symptoms of severe endometriosis complicated by ovarian cysts. A hysterectomy was recommended at the young age of 19 in order to relieve her pain. This was not acceptable since having a family, as well as a career in medicine, was extremely important to her. She could not find answers within her own field of allopathic medicine at the time, so she began to search. She was exposed to Acupuncture and in desperation, gave it a try.

Her immediate response to the pain relief and hormonal regulation provided by the Acupuncture impressed her enough to take a hiatus from her Western Medical studies and immerse herself in the field of Chinese Medicine. After becoming Board Certified and Licensed in California in 1989, she spent two months in China working in a hospital and studying the roots of Chinese Medicine. Her hospital experience gave her a true vision of how Acupuncture and Eastern medical traditions can be used effectively and side by side with Western medical thoughts and procedures.

Now at the age of 39 she is a mother of a seven-year old who was planned and conceived naturally. She feels so blessed with the course that her life has taken. She now dedicates her professional life, as an Acupuncturist and Teacher of Chinese Medicine, to helping others attract miracles in their lives too.

Her office is conveniently located in the La Jolla Village Professional Center at 8950 Villa La Jolla Dr., Suite B129, in the La Jolla Village / UCSD area. Please contact the Acupuncture Center of La Jolla at (858) 450-0620 to RSVP if you plan to attend an evening that could truly change your life!

Acupuncture Before and After Embryo Transfer Results in Higher Pregnancy Rates HIGHLIGHTS IN FERTILITY AND STERILITY
Vol. 77, No. 4, April 2002
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine

Results from a recent study in Germany indicate that adding acupuncture to the treatment protocol of IVF patients greatly enhances their chances of becoming pregnant. While the physiologic mechanisms by which acupuncture may affect the uterus and reproductive system have not been identified, the researchers found that as a practical matter, at least among their small study population, the technique worked.

In a study of 160 patients undergoing in vitro fertilization, researchers utilized acupuncture, an important element in the 4,000-year-old tradition of Chinese medicine, before and after the embryo transfers of half their patients. The patients, who were all required to have embryos of good quality, were evenly and randomly divided into two groups similar in age and diagnosis.

The group receiving acupuncture treatments had one treatment before transfer and another after embryos had been transferred to their uteruses. Sterile needles were inserted into the patients' bodies at very specific points. According to the principles of traditional Chinese medicine, energy flows through the body along defined pathways, or meridians. Acupuncture is a means of influencing this energy to induce a desired physiological effect. Points were chosen for these patients along the spleen and stomach/colon meridians in an effort to positively influence blood flow and energy to the uterus and to provide a sedative effect. Additional needles were inserted in the patients' ears to influence the uterus and stabilize the endocrine system. Needles were left in place for 25 minutes while the patients rested. The control group also rested, lying still for 25 minutes after embryo transfer, as part of the IVF protocol.

The difference between pregnancy rates for the two groups was notable. Patients were examined using ultrasound six weeks after their IVF procedures. In the control group, 26% of the women, or 21 out of 80 patients became pregnant. Of the patients who had received acupuncture treatments, 42% of the women, 34 of 80 became pregnant. The researchers plan to conduct further studies to try to rule out possible psychological or psychosomatic effects. Sandra Carson, MD, President-Elect of ASRM, commented, "If these findings are confirmed, they may help us improve the odds for our IVF patients' achieving pregnancy."