Sperm have always been a precious commodity, given the critical role they play in generating new life. Even a relatively small change in the typical sperm count has a substantial impact on the percentage of men who will be classified as infertile or subfertile. It’s not just about sperm count, however; certain qualities, including movement patterns, are also essential for them to swim upstream to meet the egg of their dreams.

The psychological and medical burdens of dealing with fertility issues have been placed squarely on the women’s shoulders. Not only is this incorrect on the most basic level - given that it takes viable sperm + a healthy egg to create a pregnancy- it’s especially wrong now, when a high proportion of infertility issues can clearly be placed at men’s feet.

For couples who experience recurrent miscarriages, recent research has found that men have twice the level of DNA fragmentation in their sperm and 4 times higher levels of reactive oxygen species in their semen, which can cause DNA damage to sperm, than men whose partners didn’t have a history of miscarriage. In couples with recurrent pregnancy loss, the men also had reduced sperm mobility and morphology, compared to their peers.

The study of sperm began, unsurprisingly, in a fairly bizarre fashion. In 1677, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, a Dutch tradesman and self-taught scientist who was fascinated with microscopes, collected his semen and examined it under a microscope, where he saw millions of tiny, wriggling shapes called animalcules (little animals) swimming in the fluid. He believed that each sperm contained a miniature, preformed human being that would unfurl and develop inside the mother after being nourished by the female egg.

Although acupuncture and Traditional East Asian medicine (TEAM) for the treatment of infertility has been practiced for thousands of years, the combination of acupuncture with in vitro fertilization (IVF) and intrauterine insemination (IUI) has emerged in recent years as an effective method for improving pregnancy and live birth rates.

Continuous cell phone use, WiFi, and smart meters have been linked to ever growing health concerns. ⠀⠀

1. CANCER. Yep, cancer. Due to high metabolic rates, our brains are much more sensitive to oxidative stress and damage. Published papers out of Sweden have found an increase in brain cancer associated with extended cell phone use, directly correlated with same side of brain as cell phones are used to talk on phone.

Dear Patient,

I’ve been wanting to write this letter to you for a while now. I have so much I wish I could say to you, so much help I wish I could’ve offered. I’ve wondered what I could have done or said differently that would’ve helped you understand that trying acupuncture just once wouldn’t really be the life changing experience you were hoping or wanting.

Phoenix Rising Acupuncture offers a specialized curated herbal pharmacy, which includes remedies for women’s health, anti-aging, pain management, allergies, fertility, weight loss and more. All of the products are organic, fair trade, and green for clean living and clean beauty.

Infertility is an issue which impacts one in six couples trying to have a baby. While the reasons couples experience difficulty becoming pregnant may vary, the struggle is the same. Thousands spent on treatments, time, effort, hormones, and the range of emotions couples endure is exhausting. Doctors have long touted the importance in folic acid for women during their childbearing years, as well as during pregnancy. One issue impacting infertility is a defect in the Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase or MTHFR gene, but there is good news. Despite MTHFR, acupuncture for fertility can be effective.

Infertility is defined as the inability of a sexually active, non-contracepting couple to achieve pregnancy in one year, but very few men or women are truly infertile. Most couples who have been given a diagnosis of “infertility” are merely out of balance, and from a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective, are entirely treatable. For the 1 in 8 couples experiencing infertility each year, acupuncture and TCM may be just what the doctor ordered. In fact, it has been shown that acupuncture boosts fertility rates for couples by enhancing both male and female fertility.

I recently received a call from one of my long-term patients, who over the past 6 months wanted to focus on boosting her fertility health. She was a regular patient who lead a very healthy, green, clean lifestyle, eating all the healthy organic foods, while carefully tracking her cycle and ovulation. Everything looked great on paper.

Regardless of where you are on your healing journey, acupuncture can be effective and beneficial, and acupuncture often shines where traditional treatments do not. It is especially effective for chronic illness and symptoms when doctors have difficulty making a clear diagnosis.

Acupuncture is also an effective tool to maintain health. Even for the healthiest, an acupuncture treatment is suggested at least 4 times per year at the changing of the seasons in order to effectively boost the immune system, calm the nervous system, and regulate hormones.

The 5 Benefits of Acupuncture (that May Surprise You)...

The Phoenix is a legend as ancient as any, but through the ages, it’s meaning and relevance has remained undiluted for tens of thousands of years. The story woven through its wings comes and goes, crossing boundaries of time and distance, emerging and expressing through cultures from Ancient Egypt and Arabia, to China and Japan.

Perhaps you may have noticed an acupuncture clinic pop up in your neighborhood, or you’ve become aware of the publicity acupuncture is receiving in mainstream media. If you’ve tuned into The Dr. Oz Show on television, there is a good chance you have heard some buzz about acupuncture, and the health benefits it has to offer. Here is some information on this ancient healing therapy.