My experience with Accupuncture, herbs and MSAS

Well, I'm back from a wonderful 10-day trip to MI and it was great to see some fellow Faith, Hope and Sorrow friends! While there, I was able to see the accupunctarist Stephanie has been going to.

Let me just say, I highly recommend trying Traditional Chinese Medicine! Accupuncture was amazing! And I was given some herbs that are the worst tasting thing in my life, but have already made a difference in how i feel.

If considering going the way of needles, check and see if the accupunctarist has an MSAS (I think that is what is it called) machine. It stands for something like Meridian something Assesment something... ok, so I don't remember what it stands for, but it was AMAZING! I included a picture of one of the machines in this post. What happened was, I held the metal bar in one hand and then she used the little black pointer thing (it reminded me of a ball point pen... no needles) and she touched 62 or so different "meridians" or points on my hands and feet that correspond to different organs/systems/responses of my body. The machine then measures the energy flow and whether or not that point was stressed. I got to watch everything on her computer and see the creation of a little graph. Then the machine separates the points that are the most stressed, or have the least amount of energy flow and we talked about what may be causing the problems. My number one area was my uterus. She put the pointer on a point on my foot and the little line on the chart dropped dramatically. She asked if I had been having miscarriages and said that for whatever reason the energy flow to my uterus is not good. She recommended deep breathing and keeping my abdomen and feet warm to help oxygenate the blood and increase circulation to my pelvic region.

The MSAS also picked up a thyroid problem. I have had a TSH blood test, which came back fine, but she suspects a T3-T4 or something like that problem. She said my body can make everything just fine, it's using what it makes that poses a problem. She listed 4 blood tests to talk to my doctor about. She said that may help explain my fatigue and cold hands/feet.

But the amazing thing about this MSAS machine is she could tell me things about myself that I didn't tell her... for instance, she could tell that I have horrible allergies that move into my lungs, that I manage to hurt/injur my right side of my body more than my left, and that I have gum problems (thanks pregnancy...). At first I thought this whole measuring energy thing was a bit hokey... I'm so used to western medicine and all of its terms... but there must be some sort of science to it since it was extremely accurate, and revealing!

After the MSAS assesment, we moved to the treatment room. She looked at my tounge and felt my abdomen. She told me that blood sugar problems run in my family (which I already knew, but hadn't told her) and that it is essential for me to eat small meals throughout the day with protein at each meal. She also believes that I have a gene which intercepts the break down of Folic Acid (I forgot the name of the gene) which leads to a build up of homocystene and simply prevents my body from using folic acid like it should. This can lead to stacking of the red blood cells and clotting, along with other complications. I found this to be interesting, since my dad's side of the family has clotting issues AND my nephew (who is severely autistic) had a gene work up and it was discovered that he has this same gene. The body breaks down Folic Acid in 5 steps, so the way to get around this problem is to take a simpler for of folic acid that has already broken down a bit. Unfortunately it's a lot more expensive than the $5 bottle of folic acid you can get at the store, but I think we are going to try it for a while.

The procedure itself, surprisingly didn't hurt... except for one point on my right arm... but that just felt like a regular blood draw needle. The first this she did was correct the length of my left leg. I had a 1/2 inch difference between my two legs (which I have been able to feel when standing). By increasing the energy to my pelvic region, everything realigned itself and my legs equalled out in 'length.' I was amazed when I stood up! And she did this in 10 min! I also had needles in my stomach, arms, legs and back. Everything was very relaxing. My 1 1/2 hour session was really 2 1/2 hours. It was pricey, $160 for the entire first visit.

I was able to have a second appointment Friday before I left. We started fertility treatments, and she stuck needles in my lower back, and then attached electrodes to the needles. It was a very interesting pulsing sensation as the electricity flowed. My second appointment was an hour and only $70. She also gave me a bottle of Cordyceps, a very interesting fungus that has many documented health benefits. Thankfully this herb falls under the "very safe" category and according to TCM affects kidney, liver and lungs. She said that with this increase of Qi, that it helps "prepare good eggs." It has has the wonderful effect of reducing fatigue (Chinese olympians use it to increase stamina and endurance), increasing libido (which is never bad when trying to conceive) and just increases your overall quality of life. And there is a strong link of helping people with chronic cough/asthma. The most comprehensive list, I've found, of studies done can be found here if anyone is interested.

Phew, I think that is it. I can't say enough good about my experience! What is wonderful is the benefits I received from my accupuncture visit are not only contingent upon receiving more treatments. I feel she gave me a list of things I can do on my own at home. We've spent time an money on doctors who can't seem to find anything wrong with me and who haven't given me any clue of what I need to be doing. The $230 I spent was well worth it! Another amazing thing to me is what happened to my charts. I finally had a period which started Thursday the 12th (after 60 days, which is very abnormal for me!) but my charts have been all over the place the last two months. For the first time since August, I'm finally seeing a clear temperature pattern... and it all started Tuesday morning.

She recommended 4 books about TCM and fertility, along with a diet book that has sample meal plans to help me get protein in each meal. I included the book I want to look at first to the right. Maybe it will be interesting to someone else as well.