How does Acupuncture work? 

I am not going to lie, there is a mysterious aspect to it. 
The philosophy of Chinese Medicine including Acupuncture is based on is The Tao Te Ching, the book of changes. 

The concept is that as humans we walk "between heaven and earth". As life happens, we have to adapt. Acupuncture is meant to help you find balance. From a more scientific perspective, this could be seen as neuroplasticity, our capacity to adapt. 

To me this could translate as blocked "Qi". 

What is Qi ? If you are aware the philosophy of Yoga this could be equated to Prana, Scholars say that Qi doesn't quite translate to Energy but it is the closest way to explain it. 

I see it as vitality, energy, function and flow. There are a myriad of reasons why our Qi might be deficient/ or we don't have enough, or stuck. That is more complex pattern diagnosis. But, moving the qi can be profound. With my own eyes, I have seen peoples lives change, by simply getting there Qi flowing or we could even say unblocking and regulating the nervous system. 
This is a simplified explanation, but honestly Chinese Medicine in itself is simple and based on common sense. There is a structure and foundation that is all rooted in Yin and Yang. 

Qi is an aspect of yang. I will go more into yin and yang in another blog. 

Now Back to how it works: 
-Acupuncture connects your brain to your body. An example being, pain. Pain receptors can get blocked, we stimulate those reminding your brain where to send blood flow and natural opiates. These receptors tend to wear out as we age. We can all remember bouncing back in our youth and then later.. not so much.. 

 - We balance your organs and Meridians, we make those choices by doing some diagnosis, questioning, observation. Each organ has a function and there are many Meridians/ lines of energy that run through out our bodies. There are different kinds of Meridians, but we often address the 12 main ones. 

So, by connecting your brain and body, Acupuncture helps open up your meridians, strengthening your body, balancing your organs which could include supplementing, draining, or modulating. There are many styles of Acupuncture and philosophies to how it works, some say it's just physical, some say more energetic. The truth is you can't separate the two (in my experience and professional opinion).

Acupuncture also lowers cortisol and gives you a break from our over-stimulating world. This is important in my practice, I do less talking and my goal is to give you more time to heal and rest.  
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Feel free to reach out with questions @ [email protected] 
Thank you for reading, 
- Stefanie Rothert, LAc. MSOM
#acupuncturefornervoussystemregulation #acupunctureforpain #thetao #whatisqi #movingyourqiwithacupuncture #findingbalanceiwthacupuncture #yinandyang
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This is an ideal schedule , but it doesn't always happen this way as life almost never does! 

Depending on your labs, issues, prior history of both partners..
With sperm quality/ egg issues, it is great to see you both for three months prior to a retrieval if possible. 
- Then once a week throughout the retrieval. And ideally for the one carrying the child, twice a week leading up to. 

After the transfer, we prefer to see the pregnant person once a week through week 9. Why is that? that is when the placenta takes over for the corpus luteum. 

We can also use Chinese herbs and supplements to treat underlying patterns, and strengthen your body for healthy eggs/ sperm and also to support your body in pregnancy. 

There are studies that show that certain Chinese herbs do in fact strengthen the mitochondira in the egg. We can't change your DNA but increase the vitality. As the Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, you can imagine that it is ideal for it to be strong. There are discussions amongst fertility acupuncturists/ experts that this can be an issue.
What are undiagnosed and tricky causes of failure to implant/ conceive? 
DNA fragmentation, Auto-immune issues and Mitochondrial dysfuction. 

I look for health and vitality, and underlying imbalances. Some are trickier than others. Some are genetic, some lifestyle/ age related, some environmental. We look at your body through the lense of Chinese Medicine to see where energy needs to be moved and which organs to be balanced strengthened or even weakened (yes some organs overact on the body and other organs. 

I have simplified some concepts here, but I am always still learning, the field of Fertility is vast and we are always learning more things. Our bodies have more and more to deal with environmentally, stress-wise, with electronics and more. 

A great way to counter act some of these is to go outside, with no device and breathe and be in nature. Try doing an activity with no "entertainment" . I have been practicing this and it is hard! My brain keeps telling me I am bored. But on a side note, my focus has improved. 
In health and healing, 
Stefanie Rothert LAc, 
#fertilityacupuncture #improvespermquality #acupunctureforIVF #improveeggquality #dnafragmentation #autoimmuneandferility #acupunctureforinfertility #howoftentocomeinforIVF

In Chinese Medicine, we look for patterns in your system. We will look at physical symptoms and more to point us to different organs. They do not always translate directly to the western interpretation. All the organs also interact and have different tendencies. Some are yin some are yang. There are. yin yang pairs, like the liver (yin) and the Galbladder (yang). There are meridian pairs based on how they connect in the body, directly and indirectly. We will look for excesses and deficiencies and imbalances. Physical pain can point to stagnation or Qi or Blood, and more. 

The Tongue: the tongue is the only organ that we can see the state of. What do we look for? Moisture, size, motility, coat, color. The image below is courtesy of: https://www.naturopathy-uk.com/news/blog/2024/05/28/does-your-tongue-look-like-this/

I usually use the tongue or get more insight to my diagnosis. We can tell if there are pathogens complicating the situation and more. The nature of the coat, if it is peeled, color etc.

So if we ask you to stick your tongue out at us, that is why. If you are curious, please ask, we do not always use this tool, but here is some insight as to why. 

Best, Stefanie Rothert LAc. CEO of Aupuncture for Wellbeing
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#chinesemedicinepractitioner #tonguediagnosis, #acupuncture #chineseherbs #healingwithacupuncture #chinesemedicaldiagnosis​

You will seldom hear me use the word infertility. I do not like it. Over half my practice is assisting people in their journeys to parenthood. Some are easier than others. I love to support women in the process. We also treat men, they don't come in as much. But, both are important. 

What is infertility? If you have sperm/ eggs, you are fertile. I don't know why they say someone is infertile if they are having trouble conceiving. 

I am a fellow of the Acupuncture Board of Reproductive Medicine. In school, I knew I wanted this to be one of my specialities. I always wanted to be a mom. I had a miscarriage at age 26 and my daughter at 28. I have two stepdaughters. 

For many people they just need a little nudge and some balancing to their systems, and things align, and BOOM, conception occurs. 

It's always good to have AMH, follicular count and a sperm test done towards the beginning of the process. It can prevent a lot of frustration, and self doubt.

How do we improve egg quality? Studies show that herbs and acupuncture improve the mitochondria in the cells, so therefore the eggs/ cells become more vibrant.

There are many ways to parenthood including IVF, IUI egg/ sperm donors, adoption and more. We like to support our clients in all of it. 

We treat you using Chinese Medicine, We look to diagnose and find your patterns, where your imbalances are. I had a patient with anxiety, she also giggled a lot , supported with other symptoms/ signs, I diagnosed her with a Heart/ Qi deficiency We used herbs and Acupuncture and she was pregnant within three months. It turns out later she was diagnosed with endometriosis, but we worked with her pattern, where the imbalance was in her body, and she was able to conceive. 

Mysteries; When it seems someone simply can not conceive or maintain a pregnancy, we do need to look further into western medical testing. Some examples may be autoimmune issues and endometriosis amongst some other possible issues. 

Western Medicine and Chinese Medicine can work beautifully to assist you towards conception. It is a passion of mine, to support couples, and mothers through the entire process including pregnancy and post -partum. 

Thank you for reading and for questions you can email me at [email protected] 
Stephanie Rothert LAc. MSOM, FABORM, CMT, BA. 

Little did I know this week that snow shoveling may as well be an art form. I actually honestly enjoyed shoveling don't tell though). I appreciated I felt strong enough to do it, and it was pretty outside ( I remembered my gloves this time). 

I will admit that usually, that is my partners "job". But I had had a shorter day due the weather, so I went out to shovel. 
I had so many questions that Youtube answered later. I haphazardly cleared the sidewalk, making my own pattern, diagonal across the sidewalk into the street. Little did I know that is illegal. 

I looked at others techniques, most use snow blowers, the snow was light so I was grateful about that. I also learned later, you can spray your shovel with cooking spray. Well, I piled snow onto the street, I was happy my back felt good, I used my weight. I have seen the injuries that occur after shoveling in my office!  Now the driveway, that was haphazard, I did what I could. I learned from a video later, you are supposed to go down the middle and then out. Ok, next time I will be a perfect snow shoveler. 

You are supposed to put your snow on your own property, so it doesn't muck up the road. Oopsy. How inconsiderate of me! 

Also I guess shoveling snow can be dangerous! Who knew? The biggest cause of death, yes death, is heart attacks during shoveling, so if you feel lightheaded take a break, use your legs and push the snow, don't lift it too much. 

I couldn't help either but to contemplate the metaphor of putting your snow back on your own property, so it doesn't make it hard to drive in the street, always a way to be courteous to others. Next time I will know the rules, but I still like my own unique pattern. 

Tips: drink water, take breaks, take care of your back, push with your legs & weight, don't toss the snow too much (that is harder when you don't put it in the street I found). But if you do tweak a muscle or your back, we welcome you here ! 

Also, don't forget to notice the magic and wonder. Feeling wonder is healing for our nervous system! 
​Warmly, Stefanie Rothert LAc, LMT, FABORM

#backcare #snowshoveling #besafe #winterhazards #stayhealthyinwinter #acupuncturefortheback #wintermagic