This is an excellent example of the type of inquiries I get weekly. The following excerpt of our communication is posted with her permission and request to remain anonymous. Her email is in italics and my response is bolded.

Hello, I am searching for a practitioner with knowledge, patience, and a history of success in treating women with PCOS.

I am hoping you would answer a few questions for me to help me decide if I should come to your office for treatment…A little bit about me:I am 34 next month. I was diagnosed with PCOS about 6 months ago after having trouble trying to conceive. I started acupuncture treatment in July to help regulate my cycles (before by diagnosis of PCOS). I went for weekly appointments from July through Mid October. Although at times it seemed to help, my cycles were still not regulated. I think I might not have given acupuncture a fair chance. For one, I did not know enough about my condition to explain my needs to the practitioner. Now that I have been charting my CM and BBT, I can bring these charts to a practitioner for a better understanding of my needs. Although the acupuncturists I saw at Five Branches were very knowledgeable, the environment seemed much too rushed. I am afraid I did not get the focused attention I was looking for.

Can you answer these few questions for me?How many women have you treated with PCOS?What were your results treating PCOS?How do you believe diet effects PCOS?Have you treated women who were taking Clomid? Did any become pregnant after treatment?Have you used women’s charts to aid in treatment?Have you read the Infertility Cure by Dr. Randine Lewis Ph.D? (this book was what convinced me to try acupuncture again, now that I am more aware of my cycle through FAM charting).

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions,Sincerely looking forward to reading your response.

My Response:

First of all, I’d like to say I appreciate the time you are putting out in terms of these thoughtful questions in an effort to find the best practitioner for you. I will try to answer them to the best of my ability. I have treated several with a PCOS diagnosis, and many more who I believe had PCOS but went undiagnosed.

What were your results treating PCOS? This is a difficult condition, NOT impossible to treat, but it takes diligence on the part of the patient. To answer this question, two patient histories come to mind:

1. I treated one patient several years ago for three months with acupuncture, herbs and dietary suggestions. In this time her cycles regulated, she lost weight and reached her health goal which was to have regular periods.

2. I treated one patient about 3 years ago who came at the urging of her girlfriend. She had a lot of psychological challenges around weight and her eating habits and would not entertain the idea of dietary/lifestyle changes. She also did not want to take herbs. I saw her twice a month for 2 months and then we both decided that this was not the ideal path for her at the time.

How do you believe diet effects PCOS? This is a very interesting and complicated question. In short, I think it is pivotal. I have done a lot of work with insulin resistance and believe it plays a huge role in this disease.

Have you treated women who were taking Clomid? Many.

Have you used women’s charts to aid in treatment? Yes, they are a less expensive way to follow hormonal shifts than salivary hormone panels, though sometimes these are helpful too.

Have you read the Infertility Cure by Dr. Randine Lewis Ph.D? (this book was what convinced me to try acupuncture again, now that I am more aware of my cycle through FAM charting). Funny that you ask me that. I think this is a great laywoman’s guide to fertility. You may also enjoy Fertile Soul Cycle Companion Journal by the same author. I just ordered two copies of this book for the library at the Fertility Physicians of Northern California.

So, I’d like to give you a little background on me, my practice and how I work with Women’s Health. I attained my doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) with a dual specialization in Women’s Health and Pain Management. I am continuing on to do research with the Fertility Physicians of Northern California for my PhD in Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine. I am also the only certified specialist in Oriental Reproductive Medicine in Santa Cruz county. The majority of my patients are women and it brings me great joy to help them shift their health and achieve their goals. During your initial visit we will go over your medical history in detail, go over the herbs/drugs/supplements you may be taking and your typical diet. I’ll do an assessment using Chinese and Japanese methods of diagnosis and and acupuncture treatment. The session will conclude with a treatment plan detailing appropriate modalities for treatment such as acupuncture, specific herbal formulas, dietary suggestions and other self care measures.

Hope I answered your questions and gave you the information you are looking for. Take care and good luck to you!

March 1 2009, Five Branches University held its first graduation ceremony conferring the degree Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, upon 36 graduates.  Keynote speaker, Marilyn Allen, M. Sc., Editor of Acupuncture Today, announced that this first graduating class has become Traditional Chinese Medicine’s  “Ancestors”  in the West.   While Five Branches University has offered a Masters in Traditional Chinese Medicine for 25 years,  co-founders Ron Zaidman and Joanna Zhao recognized a need to offer a higher degree.

According to a new government survey, 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of children use Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).  The survey results released in December 2008, in a National Health Statistics Report by the National Center for Health Statistics, NCHS a of the CDC, are based on data from more than 23,300 interviews with American adults.

The increasing use of alternative medicine calls for the highest level of training.   The extraordinary student body was composed of long time clinicians, professors, authors and a local health talk-show host.  Graduates included the co-founders of Five Branches University,  Zaidman and  Zhao.  Alameda acupuncturist and host of the Balancing Point weekly health radio show, John Nieters, delivered a poignant speech on behalf of his fellow graduates.   Dr. Nieters spoke of the great honor to be among this group of classmates and to have had the opportunity to study from the giants and innovators in this field, many of whom were flown in from China.

Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine which represents the highest degree available in the United States, includes a 1280 hour program and relies on partnerships with Stanford University and Zhejiang Medical University in China.  Drs. Rozenn and Nieters are also pursing PhDs in the exciting field of Integrated Western and Chinese Medicine through Zhejiang University. The modern integrative curriculum offers students an opportunity to glean the best from East and West.

Media note: For the full report and downloadable graphics  of the CAM survey visit http://nccam.nih.gov/news/camstats/.

Doctoral Fellows John Nieters and Maureen Rozenn at the second affiliated hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University.

For the last month I have been studying in China as part of my clinical Doctorate in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) and my PhD in Integrated Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Western Medicine with a specialization in Women’s Health and Fertility.

So what exactly have I been doing all of this time, you ask?

Program Highlights  

·        Intensive Gynecology study in an integrated TCM-Western setting.

o       Hundreds of patients were successfully treated with custom herbal prescriptions every day.

o       Treatment principals were based on both TCM diagnostics and Western lab and imaging tests such as hormone panels, pap smears, basil body temperature charts (BBT) and ultrasounds of the ovaries and uterus.

o       Specific herbal formulas were used to treat infertility, irregular and painful menses, habitual miscarriages, PCOS, endometriosis, uterine fibroids and menopausal symptoms.

·        Intensive Acupuncture study with my PhD adviser, Dr. Fang.

o       A wide range of illnesses were treated with acupuncture in Dr. Fang’s busy clinic.

o       Tinnitus, hearing loss, vertigo

o       Neurological problems

§         Trigeminal neuralgia, numbness, sciatica, migraines

o       Post partum issues

o       Orthopedic diseases

§         Knee, back and muscle pain

§         Torn ligaments

§         Muscle atrophy

·        Intensive Internal Medicine study of various topics:

o       Childhood illnesses

o       Cardiovascular diseases

o       Dietary modifications to promote health and vitality

o       Modern applications of ancient herbal formulas for:

§         Liver disease

§         Autoimmune disease

§         Diabetes