This content was created by Erica Hoke. This content was uploaded by Erica Hoke. This is a YouTube video titled "Acupuncture for Infertility Part 1" (posted 2020-08-30) featuring a hosted discussion by Erica Hoke with guest Amy Diamond, a licensed acupuncturist and doctor of traditional Chinese medicine (trained at Yo San University, now practicing in Sarasota). The session is an English conversational presentation introducing the basics of acupuncture—concepts of qi and blood flow, how acupuncture addresses trauma and stress, nervous-system effects, and the release of endorphins—and notes common presentations (pain, insomnia, digestive and gynecological issues). They mention this is part 1 and that a follow-up will cover specific fertility/IVF protocols and how to choose a practitioner.
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Hello everybody, thank you so much for your patience. Facebook never fails to let you know that they are in charge, large and in charge. So thanks for your patience. Sorry, we're a little bit late. I'm Erica Hoke. I have Amy Diamond. Um, here with us, and she is going to— she's going to talk to us about, um, the basics of acupuncture today and how acupuncture can help your body. And then we're going to do part 2 next week and we're going to speak specifically about acupuncture for fertility and also acupuncture for IVF. So Amy, can you tell us a little bit about yourself? Sure.
So I'm a licensed acupuncturist and I'm also a physician of traditional Chinese medicine. So as a, In my practice, it can include anything from acupuncture to also other modalities of Chinese medicine, such as doing Chinese herbs, cupping, moxibustion, tuina, which is a Chinese type of, Chinese medicine type of massage, and lifestyle nutritional counseling. I'm from Los Angeles, California, and I just recently moved out here to Sarasota. So my degree is from a school in Los Angeles called Yo San University. And just recently moved here. So I've got my private practice here and I do specialize in treating a lot of women's conditions including fertility and yeah, happy to be here.
Thanks. Yeah. So Amy has 2 wild little boys. I have 4 wild little boys. And, um, if you don't know my story, the reason that my story includes acupuncture is because I had almost every infertility, um, problem known. I had endometriosis, PCOS, I had thyroid disease. And unbeknownst to me at the time, I had MTHFR, double mutation of MTHFR. So because I was not a candidate for IVF, I turned to all the natural medicine methods that I could find to help try to heal my body and prepare it to carry a baby. And acupuncture was one of those things that I did. So I was not a fan of needles. And hated shots and was actually pretty terrified my first visit, but I was willing to do whatever it took. So Amy, can you tell us a little bit just like the basics of acupuncture and what acupuncture actually is and how it helps the body?
Sure. So the basis of acupuncture is the concept of qi, and qi spelled Q-I or C-H-I, is basically our vital life force. It's the energy that flows through our body and every energetic system of our body, and with the Qi flows the blood, so the two things flow together, and anytime those things are disrupted from any type of trauma, our body gets stressed out and everything gets out of whack, our whole balance is thrown off, and the Qi and the blood get stuck. So when I say trauma, it can be anything from a minor trauma such as a sprained ankle to a bump on the head to just the everyday stressors of life, of work and taking care of kids and running errands, to major stressors such as childbirth, which is a beautiful stressor, but it's, it's still a stressor. It's a trauma to our body. And, you know, major car accidents, living through a pandemic as we are right now, all of those are major stresses and traumas on our bodies, not just physically, but mentally, emotionally, spiritually as well. So acupuncture treats our whole body. It's not just focused on the physical system. It is an energetic practice. So what acupuncture is basically doing is reminding the body how to put things back in balance and how to get the qi and the blood flowing properly again. Whenever the qi and the blood get stuck, inflammation and pain manifest, and that can be in any, any person can kind of manifest differently with that pain or inflammation. Some people may have migraines, other people it's insomnia, anxiety, digestive issues, chronic pain, and for a lot of women it comes out in the gynecological issues. So when we tap in a needle with our acupuncture needles, which are very, very tiny, like tinier than a strand of hair, thinner than a strand of hair, and typically not a painful practice, What acupuncture is doing is it's tapping into the nervous system and it's reminding the body how to bring things back into balance, but it's also releasing those feel-good hormones called endorphins, which are the same hormones that are released whether we are exercising, laughing, and talking with our girlfriends, or even through sex. So it's the same feel-good hormones that are released and helping our bodies to relieve stress, eliminate toxins, and get everything flowing properly again.
Awesome. Thank you so much.
You're welcome.
So, um, join us next week. Amy is going to talk a little bit more about, um, specifically acupuncture protocol, um, what to look for in a practitioner, um, if you're looking for a fertility protocol, and also, um, what acupuncture can do to even help your IVF. Or your IRI, um, stick. So thanks so much, and we will see you next week. Bye-bye.
