Adrienne Wei, L.Ac, is the Founder and Clinic Director at Inner Peace Acupuncture and Wellness in Charlotte, NC. Her practice is focused on Women’s Health and a major part of her practice is devoted to helping women overcome infertility with acupuncture and Chinese medicine. Although acupuncture and Chinese herbal healing have been practiced for thousands of years in China, they have only been known in the United States for the past few decades. Over the past thirty years they have been the most rapidly accepted forms of alternative medicine here.
Infertility patients are evaluated at the Inner Peace Acupuncture and Wellness Clinic starting with a detailed health history. Underlying root causes are determined based on the patient’s age, lifestyle, diet and past and current health. Wei then develops a customized treatment plan for each patient.
Wei says that although treatment protocol differs from patient-to-patient, typical Fertility Enhancement Programs would include weekly or twice weekly acupuncture treatment and Chinese herbs. The acupuncture points stimulated and herbal formulation will vary depending upon the patient diagnosis. Patients that are undergoing treatments using prescription medications will not take herbs due to potential for interaction. Diet therapy, lifestyle counseling and other therapies such as massage and reflexology may also be included in the treatment program.
New patients always want to know how long it will take to achieve pregnancy. Wei indicates that the time varies depending upon the patient’s condition. “We typically tell patients to expect three to six months because it takes up to three months just to regulate the reproductive system. Ninety percent of our patients will get pregnant within six months of treatment.”
For those that do not get pregnant after six months, Wei refers them to a specialist for further evaluation. Wei says, “I truly believe in integrated medicine, and I feel like Chinese medicine and Western medicine really can work together. I have a great group of doctors I work with and I can refer patients to them to evaluate other issues that will prevent pregnancy.”
“Helping women conceive is really my passion because of my own battles to overcome reproductive health issues,” said Wei. “Acupuncture and Chinese herbs really helped me, so for me, it’s very rewarding to help others as well.”
Although recent health care trends in the United States are moving more toward prevention, most patients still want a quick fix to their symptoms. Chinese medicine has its basis in preventive care and keeping the body healthy, not waiting for illness and then only treating the symptoms.
Wei relates that according to Chinese medicine principles, there is no such thing as infertility. All women are essentially fertile when their energetics are properly balanced. The problems arise when there’s some type of obstruction in the energy meridian. Even if acupuncture is not something that a patient would want to pursue, Wei advises to start by taking care of oneself, eating properly, exercising and managing stress. All of these small changes will collectively make a large impact on increasing the fertility potential.
Adrienne Wei received a Master of Science Degree in Traditional Oriental Medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and then completed a post-graduate internship at the Quanzhou Traditional Chinese Medical Hospital in Fujin, China. She is also a Fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (ABORM) and a board-certified Fertility Acupuncture Specialist. Wei is also one of only fifty members worldwide of the Clinical Excellence in Fertility Professionals (CEFP).
Adrienne Wei recently participated on a panel of holistic healing experts on “Charlotte Talks”, hosted by Mike Collins, on Charlotte’s NPR station, WFAE 90.7 FM.
For more information on treating infertility with acupuncture and Chinese medicine visit: http://www.ipacupuncture.com.