The Really Useful TCM Thread

Firebaby, sounds like the herbs are working for you! I'd definitely stay on them.

My old acu had me on some herbs when I first started with her that seemed to really help, but she took me off after just one month for some reason. My new acu doesn't have me on Chinese herbs at all. These are vitamins by a company called Standard Process. They are whole food based supplements with a bunch of funky ingredients like "porcine stomach" and "porcine parotid gland". Since I am feeling much worse after six weeks of taking them, I am going to give it a rest.

Oh, I have been checking for those thyroid tests anxiously 2+ times a day and I went back to read the paperwork from my docs office and found out that they will not be available for three weeks after the blood draw. So I have six more long days of waiting. :(
 
Waaaa Cali - 6 days must feel like a lifetime right now :( but don't worry you will have your answers soon.
I just googled those vitamins they certainly aren't afraid of their odd animal parts in them!! Good idea to hold off on them until you get your tests back. I even stopped taking my prenatal for a few days because I think it is constipating me :(
How many mg of Coq10 do you take?
 
Waaaa Cali - 6 days must feel like a lifetime right now :( but don't worry you will have your answers soon.
I just googled those vitamins they certainly aren't afraid of their odd animal parts in them!! Good idea to hold off on them until you get your tests back. I even stopped taking my prenatal for a few days because I think it is constipating me :(
How many mg of Coq10 do you take?

Yes I am dying waiting for the results. I take 800 mg a day. Kroger had a good sale on the 400 mg tablets so I decided to take a huge dose a day. I haven't had any side effects, but no real difference in my cycle either. I'm going to continue taking it because it seems to be really good for older women.
 
Oh, I have been checking for those thyroid tests anxiously 2+ times a day and I went back to read the paperwork from my docs office and found out that they will not be available for three weeks after the blood draw. So I have six more long days of waiting. :(

That's ridiculous! Why's it taking so long? I only have to wait a week in total.
 
That's ridiculous! Why's it taking so long? I only have to wait a week in total.

Yeah it's crazy! I think the results are probably back from the lab, but the doctor's office just takes it's time in reporting them. They have this online and telephone system for reporting, so I guess it's just a matter of reducing the workload on their staff. It has been a tough three weeks but my wait is almost over.
 
Hi - Mind if you join you? I've been doing acupuncture for several months (and did before when I was ttc my daughter.) I'm on my third cycle of TTC.

I go to a community acupuncture clinic so its pretty inexpensive (which is good, because I couldn't afford it otherwsie) and my acupuncturist is pretty good. I'm not doing any herbs or anything :( because my acupuncturist isn't so much into that. I did take soy this month to help boost ovulation.

My temps are a mess, but so far acupuncture hasn't been much help with that. I think I am ovulating this month, so hopefully things are getting better.

I also am hypothyroid and have adrenal issues. I take levothyroxine.
 
I take levothyroxine.

SNAP! What dosage are you on? I'm on 150mg but had blood tested last week to re-check as I've been having symptoms again. Results in a few more days...

'Welcome' by the way! :hi:
 
I take levothyroxine.

SNAP! What dosage are you on? I'm on 150mg but had blood tested last week to re-check as I've been having symptoms again. Results in a few more days...

'Welcome' by the way! :hi:

I take 75mcg. In the past I've taken anywhere from 25mcg up to 100mcg. My TSH is currently stable at 1.3 which is fine. I start getting bad fatigue when it gets higher than 2. I get my levels tested every 3-6 months.
 
Welcome Nimyra!!! How long did it take to conceive your first and did you take thyroid meds at the same time as the acu?? Do you think your pregnancy has affected your thyroid?? I have read that a lot of women start to have thyroid issues after pregnancy. Sorry for all the questions!
 
No problem! I'm so bored and happy to chat about anything!

I had borderline low thyroid pre-pregnancy... probably for years to be honest and had chronic fatigue (probably related). I saw a Naturopath who told me that my tsh levels weren't good even though the were technically in the "high normal" range (4ish). She told me I was unlikely to get pregnant with my levels like that.

So I talked to my GP, who thankfully was willing to try me on meds. Immediately I noticed a difference in my energy level. We had me taking 50mg at that time (3 years ago) and my TSH was stable at around 1.

I was also doing acupuncture at that time.

When I got pregnant I needed to increase my dose to 75mg or 100mg. After giving birth I felt sort of "racey" like a lot of frenetic energy so I thought my thyroid was too high with the medication. We tested and this was true so I went off my levothyroxine all together. I didn't take any medication the whole time I was breastfeeding basically. After a year as nursing was winding down I felt tired again and went back on the meds.

I was TTC for 7 months with my husband before we learned that we had male factor infertility. Then I tried 2 cycles with a sperm donor and got pregnant on my second cycle.

I'm hoping it won't take too long this time around. I'm trying every trick in the book to help things along... but I'm also on antidepressants now so I hope that doesn't mess things up. My OBGYN is fine with me ttc on my meds.
 
That is really interesting Nimyra and thanks for sharing. If it turns out I have a thyroid disorder I think I could learn a lot from your experience. I have had symptoms of being hyperthyroid for a long time. I had a feeling something wasn't right with me the first time I TTC because it took eight months. I got pregnant right after I quit caffeine cold turkey, which supposedly exacerbates hyper symptoms, so I think there may be a link. After I had my dd my body just went haywire and I have been TTC for a year now with no success. I have those "racy" feelings a lot, but then also periods where I am fatigued for no reason at all it seems. It's amazing to me how sneaky those thyroid symptoms are, because those kind of symptoms don't jump out at me as being something "wrong".

I get my results back in a couple of days and I will be absolutely gutted if my thyroid is not the reason for my troubles because it describes what I've been feeling these past few months exactly. It seems from your experience that if I do have a thyroid disorder, it won't be something that I can manage just by acu alone, which would explain why I initially felt I was making progress which quickly stalled.
 
The acupuncture will help with anything hormonal/endocrine, but in my opinion, the medicine for hypothyroid is such a simple fix and does exactly what its supposed to do, why waste time. Over time, maybe you'll need less as your body heals, but getting symptom relief is great.

I've learned over the last few years to tell by how I'm feeling how my thyroid is. If I'm fatigued or "spacey" - need more thyroid. If I'm feeling "racey" or pressure in my eyes, then I'm over-medicated. Eye issues are the #1 sign of hyperthyroid.

In terms of interpreting your TSH levels once you get your results, between .5 and 2 is ideal. Some say .3 and 3.

I don't know what they do for hyperthyroidism to be honest, so that is probably more complicated than just taking synthroid (levothyroxine).
 
I have the results back of my FSH and Estradiol tests back and they are great. My FSH was 5.41 and my Estradiol was .51, which are both smack dab in the middle of the normal ranges and excellent for a woman my age. I looked online and those are values that you'd expect to see in a woman in her twenties. I bet the acu and supplements I am taking had a lot to do with that.

I had an acu visit to day with Dr. Liu, and unfortunately that visit wasn't as encouraging. We started out with a heart stress test and it turns out my heart is stressed. I wasn't surprised. These days I am still tired, I hear my heart pounding, and I don't get a good night's sleep. I told her that I had stopped taking the supplements and wanted to take a break from them for now. She said okay, because obviously my body is not responding well to them. She did the muscle testing and still is not able to get to the root cause of what is causing my thyroid troubles. She said not to worry and that she sees a pattern a worsening symptoms frequently.

I did acu with the usual needles. I am not relaxed on the table anymore at all. I am anxious and want to get up these days. Afterward she took out the needles and did the bloodletting from my ears again. It wasn't as freaky this time because I was expecting it. So it was a pretty routine session, and I do seem to feel a little better afterward.

I've been going to Dr. Liu for six weeks now, and most of my symptoms--fatigue, heart palpitations, and restlessness, are getting worse. However, I was pleased that I had a heavier flow with AF though. Also, my tongue is changing and seems to be less red in back and more even everywhere else. I guess positive things are happening and things aren't just staying the same. Right now I just want to protect the positive things I've gotten out of acu while getting more aggressive treatment for my thyroiod. I am due to get my thryoid test results tomorrow so hopefully that will confirm what Dr. Liu has been telling me and I can get in to see an endocrinologist.

Another interesting thing is that I got another email from my old acu yesterday. I hate to be flip floppy, but I feel l was a little too harsh on her. She seemed genuinely concerned and interested in what was going on with me. Also, my great FSH result is no doubt mostly due to her work. I have a problem that is very difficullt to diagnose and treat. Acu is known to be a gentle remedy that takes a lot of time, and who knows, if I had a year or so, maybe she could have fixed me. I wasn't seeing any improvements with my old acu, but I wasn't regressing either. I'm not inclined to go back to her, but I do appreciate her a little more.

So tomorrow I will be calling my FS bright and early to inquire about the results. It's been three weeks but it feels like it's been three years.
 
I can't wait to hear your thyroid results.

Sometimes I am relaxed when getting acupuncture and sometimes I feel restless. I asked my acupuncturist about this and he says that it is often because of the types of points he's doing. Seriously, the one time I was like, "I'm feeling impatient, I want to get off the table!" He said, "yeah, we were doing some points that can be like that."

He often does one either in my forehead or at the top of my head (or both) that help my mind calm down (since my pattern is that anytime he does points to give me more energy it goes right to my mind and I start churning with too many thoughts), the extra points help contain that and bring the energy back to my body.

I'm wondering if your acupuncturist is open to you having a chat about all this. A great practitioner (be that traditional doctor or alternative medicine) ought to be someone you can talk to about your concerns.
 
Nimyra, that is really interesting about your acu stimulating points to give you more energy. Dr. Liu is good about answering my questions so maybe she can tell me why I don't get relaxed on the table anymore. I know she is big on the needles in my skull to get at the brain/hypothalamus, but I'm not sure if she does any for energy or relaxation. My old acu would always put a needle in my forehead to help me relax, but it didn't always work. think part of the reason I'm so fatigued is that it feels like my body is going going going all the time so I'd prefer it if she'd use more points for relaxation.
 
Do you have your results Cali?

As for me, my full blood count came back fine, as did my thyroid function. Of course this is good, but doesn't explain why I sometimes go through phases of being soooo tired. Having said that, this cycle I've been 'normal', so perhaps it's a cyclical thing that I hadn't previously noticed.

Acu later this morning, so I'll report back later or tomorrow.
 
Sizzles, nope, no results for me yet. :( I called and left a message with the office manager, but I haven't gotten a callback and still no results. I am resigned to the possibility that I won't know until I meet with the FS again on Thursday. The only reason I can think of for this delay is that the FS wants to go over the results with me herself before I see them.

I guess it is somewhat of a mixed blessing that your thyroid results came back normal. Now there is a big question mark about what is causing your spotting and other symptoms. Are you going to be push to have that investigated further?
 
Hi sorry to crash but still subscribed to this thread from when it started so thought I'd share. I struggled to conceive my daughter and had spotting per and post menstruation even after having her. I also suffer with hormonal acne and in my quest to find a cute for that my spotting totally disappeared so thought I'd share-
1000mg starflower oil, 320mg saw palmetto and 30mg zinc. Whatever it was taken for the hormones are much more settled my skin is better and my period for the first time is just bright red flow start to finish with no spotting! X
 
Sizzles, nope, no results for me yet. :( I called and left a message with the office manager, but I haven't gotten a callback and still no results. I am resigned to the possibility that I won't know until I meet with the FS again on Thursday. The only reason I can think of for this delay is that the FS wants to go over the results with me herself before I see them.

I guess it is somewhat of a mixed blessing that your thyroid results came back normal. Now there is a big question mark about what is causing your spotting and other symptoms. Are you going to be push to have that investigated further?

Sorry you're still waiting Cali. That really is bad!
As you say, although I'm pleased the results were good, it does still leave questions. I didn't think the thyroid was probably causing the spotting as I've been experiencing it for 18 months plus (before that I don't think I tracked it as much, although I'd be surprised if I hadn't noticed several days of spotting), and my thyroid was checked back in January. However, with the other symptoms, I had wondered whether it was 'unstable'. Still, the symptoms were worse towards the end of last cycle, so I thought (and acu agreed - it's a part of TCM!) maybe my body was just whacked at the end of that cycle; this cycle I've been fine!

I am having further investigations done. I may already have posted on here, but I spoke to the fertility nurse last week about the spotting and she has since spoken to the consultant. She called earlier this week and told me the consultant will see me in December to look at my cervix - lovely! So at least they're listening to me and taking me seriously. So any way, the appointment letter arrived today: Christmas Eve!!! Thanks for that! I think we're hosting Christmas, so I shall have to make sure people know not to come until mid afternoon as I'll be otherwise occupied having people peer up my whatsit!

Session 14???
Rather embarrassing today as I turned up for my 11.15 appointment, only to be told my appointment was at 10.30!!! Whoops! SOOO embarrassed! Any way, she agreed to still see me, though it was definitely rushed: no chat beforehand; straight down to business and the whole appointment only lasted 30 minutes. Ah well, I guess that makes up for the extra I got last time!

As it was all a bit of a blur, I didn't properly catch which points she used, so I might miss some. She did check my tongue andpulses before hand, but didn't comment.
1 in top of scalp
1 in forehead
2 in right wrist
1 in left wrist: hurt like hell! When she put it in I exclaimed, as the sensation shot down my hand into my thumb like an electric shock. Then when she removed the needle at the end, my wrist really hurt and was quite red. I didn't hold the steering wheel for the first couple of miles (with that hand!) as it was sore. Now I'm left with a large purple bruise on my inner wrist.
3 in tummy
1 behind each knee
1 around each ankle
1 on top of my foot (possibly both feet?)
I think I had a couple on my inner shins

So nothing really to report, except that she was working on 'invigorating' which she seems to do a lot! She was pleased my bloods were clear and that I'm seeing the consultant.

Now, the fertility nurse said on the phone that an appointment would be made for December. I'd previously been told to phone in December to get the ball rolling for IVF, but when I last spoke to her she said when I saw the consultant I should mention it and he would start it. However, my question is, since my appointment isn't until Christmas Eve, do you think I should phone early in December so the paperwork is started, or wait for the appointment, which will realistically mean paperwork won't be started until the new year? Obviously, although I don't want IVF, I also don't want to wait any longer for a baby!
 
I meant to say, I didn't use CBFM this month (forgot to start it in time!) so not entirely sure of ov. Helpfully, I didn't get quite such strong ov pain this time to help identify it, but I reckon it was Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. I'm going with Tuesday, partly because it's in the middle and partly because it's the most likely on previous cycles. Any way, just to say that these last couple of days I've been feeling quite crampy; nothing major, but just niggly. I think I get this on and off from ov to af, but possibly not so consistently.

Any way, that's me up to date. Any one else got anything to report?
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Members online

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,650,212
Messages
27,141,969
Members
255,683
Latest member
chocolate 4
Back
Top
monitoring_string = "c48fb0faa520c8dfff8c4deab485d3d2"
<-- Admiral -->