(Happy news)

Just the other day on June 10th, I heard happy news. It was about my patient who had given birth to her first child at the age of 43. The baby arrived in normal delivery process 45 minutes after the labor pains had begun. Even her obstetric doctor was amazed. She owed it to acupuncture they said. She had been coming to my acupuncture clinic for a long time, but it was not for infertility per se. She was suffering from an ovarian problem and endometriosis. These problems made it quite difficult for her to become pregnant. This made the birth of the baby that much more exhilarating.
Maybe the continued rise in the birth rate during the past three years is pushing up the number of new mothers coming to my clinic. Needless to say, I am delighted at this phenomenon. Just recently a 41-year old woman conceived her first child. She first came to my office a year ago for infertility. Before she came to me, she had several unsuccessful conceptions. She then often visited me for acupuncture treatment, which resulted in the recent happy outcome. “What a remarkable kind of treatment acupuncture is!” This utterance made me extremely happy. I’m now carefully looking after her in this most important period of gestation.

Here is a story of another patient. About three months ago, she experienced breaking of the amnion in her ninth month of conception. Besides, the child was infected with group B streptococcus and died, which was in fact something unbelievable.
Subsequent attempts at artificial insemination did not help her at all before she came to my clinic. I advised her to try to regain her bodily and mental balance, but she was in such a hurry that she was not easily persuaded. So, finally I put it straight to her: “Why not forget about everything and concentrate on acupuncture/moxibustion treatment for three months?” It was four months afterward that she did get pregnant at last and is expected to give birth in October this year. What a delightful development it was for both of us! But we should keep watching it until her baby actually does arrive in October.

(How is infertility regarded in Oriental Medicine?)
Oriental medical term for infertility defines it as a case of women in their reproductive age remaining incapable of conceiving for three or more years after marriage, though not practicing contraception. Various documents comprehensively refer to infertility, citing its basic cause in six different areas, both physical and psychological. But in any case, it has been proven that at the bottom of it is the weakening of the renal functions, which is the source of congenital vitality in the parents. If either parent suffers from the weakening of the kidneys, it is likely to produce children with inborn health problems. Also, aging is closely related to backaches and fragility of bones and teeth. Hair turns white and loses its gloss. Urinal problems may follow. Such age-connected problems are more likely to appear. Moreover, the number of male infertility cases is on the increase, and some couples are receiving treatment together.

(Helping patients materialize their wishes)
A number of people facing infertility-connected problems are visiting my clinic. The instances of successful treatment are giving them strong hopes for the future. Understandably, people who are yet to succeed feel anxious: “Why not me?” They get increasingly worried. Thus infertility is now becoming a major factor that causes wide anxiety among infertile people.
It is not just infertility that lies at the bottom of various problems. In many cases, unwelcome psychological complications give rise to various connected symptoms. I as a therapist am quite aware of how important it is for us to help these people see the light of hopes for their future. After offering acupuncture treatment to so many people, I am now absolutely convinced that my service is really helping those who come to my clinic. I am learning so much from what is happening in the life of my patients.

(The springboard of spiritual power)
Once we are attacked by a physical problem (or problems), what we must guard ourselves against is the likelihood of allowing the problem to weaken our spiritual power, too. It is no exaggeration to say that the evil power of sickness deranges our mentality. The more serious or critical the health condition is, the stronger should our spiritual power remain. If the spiritual power remains strong enough, the struggle with the sickness will give the patient strong power to be an objective thinker. Only those who share the common experience with the patient can understand how each patient feels.
The rebounding spiritual power is required equally of both the patient and therapist. I firmly believe that acupuncture/moxibustion is the best and quickest way to strengthen the spring-board of our spiritual power.