TCM

Acupuncture is becoming a complement to Western IVF technology

Advocates believe that TCM encompasses an unparalleled ability to look inside the individual , but not specifically for a disease or diagnosis .

Chinese medical historians trace its roots back to ancient texts such as the Yellow Emperor ’ s Inner Canon , first mentioned in the second century AD , and the Treatise on Cold Damage Diseases from a slightly later period . Given its long history , TCM has had an almost two thousand year head start on Western medicine , during which its practitioners soaked up knowledge and chronicled a vast array of medical discoveries and treatments .

Undaunted by any comparisons to Western medicine , which is backed up by copious research and peer-reviewed studies , Chinese medicine takes a more philosophical approach centred on balance and energy .

“ Through years of studies , TCM has come to believe that illness is the consequence of an imbalance of the energy forces in the human body ,” Jenny Ting Fei Jian , deputy head of division at 1TCM , told Global Health Asia-Pacific . 1TCM operates a number of clinics across Kuala Lumpur with an emphasis on acupuncture .

Advocates believe that TCM encompasses an unparalleled ability to look inside the individual , but not specifically for a disease or diagnosis . It strongly relies on the tongue , pulse , and the body ’ s channel system to determine the exact functional relationships between the internal organs and the entire body .

One way to understand TCM is to look at its approach to conception and pregnancy . Ting equates conceiving a baby with planting a seed — the seed , of course , being the embryo . First , good soil is needed in the form of a healthy womb that ’ s been given sufficient amounts of essentials such as sunlight , water and oxygen . The sunlight corresponds to the “ yang ” energy in the body that keeps the womb warm and is also the motivating force behind ovulation and fertilisation .

“ Chinese people might hear their old mama or grandma saying : ‘ Eh , your womb is too cold , lah ! That ’ s why you cannot get pregnant !’ We need the yang energy to warm the womb and also to push its functional activities . Weak yang makes conceiving hard ,” said Ting .

In addition to sunlight , the soil needs water or else it will dry up . This is where yin energy plays a role , as it ’ s responsible for forming the endometrium lining in the uterus to prepare a suitable environment to nurture the seed .

The nutrients are provided by a combination of qi energy and blood , which help grow the foetus in the womb . These are boosted by acupuncture before , during , and after pregnancy .

While there ’ s little evidence in Western medical literature of the benefits of most TCM treatments , acupuncture is reasonably well supported by research into its benefits and safety .

Chinese medicines are sometimes prescribed for people undergoing IVF

38 APRIL 2021 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com