1.   Don’t realize how many of their friends, family and co-workers struggle with the same problems

2.   Feel alone, helpless and embarrassed

3.   Don’t know that Oriental medicine can be incredibly effective!

Digestive disorders range from hemorrhoids to “heart burn” to loss of appetite, and everything in between. One common Western diagnosis given to people with chronic diarrhea, constipation or abdominal pain is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). This complex disorder that afflicts up to 20% of the world’s population!  You may have heard IBS be referred to as an “incurable disease” by your physician.  Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine can offer a safe, effective, natural, and drug-free way to address IBS and other digestive disorders by getting to the root of the problem.  My goal is to assess the entire constitution of the patient – considering physiological, psychological, and lifestyle aspects. Digestive symptoms may be triggered by stress, diet, emotional factors, hormone levels, and medications so it is important to conduct a through medical history and physical exam to discover the origin of these symptoms.

• A study from the Guangxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine concluded that acupuncture was effective in the treatment of chronic gastritis, resulting in a 95% effective rate!
• An Australian study published in 1998 in the Journal of the American Medical Association lends strong scientific support to treating IBS with Chinese herbs.

You don’t have to keep suffering! Click on Schedule Appointment in the upper right hand corner of the site!

“I can’t begin to explain how wonderful I feel after completing the Liver Detox Program with Dr. Maureen Rozenn.  I’ve been on a long journey trying to become a healthier person and really felt I’d come a long way – but I actually didn’t realize how crappy I was still feeling until I started to feel so much better!! The program is so simple and Dr. Rozenn tailors it to each patient’s specific needs. The actual plan requires a 3 week commitment and includes a weekly acupuncture with Dr. Rozenn…I’ve never experienced something like this before and, for me, it has resulted in some significant lifestyle changes. To be honest, I finished my 3 weeks but have now modified it so that I can continue following it for a few more.  I highly, highly, recommend Dr. Rozenn and Endless Possibilities Acupuncture.” 

In Chinese medicine theory, Spring is associated with the Liver. Its time for Spring Cleaning! Don’t just your bedroom or linen closets where you pack junk away. Give your body a cleanse too. Notice I said CLEANSE, not FAST! Don’t worry. You can help your liver without depriving yourself of food. In fact, you NEED to eat so the liver has the energy to conjugate toxins, packaging them so you can safely excrete them.

During the Liver Detoxification Program, you can eat as much as you want. 

In the beginning of my career, I treated countless people with advanced Hepatitis B and C in San Francisco’s Mission district. This difficult and challenging work taught me a great deal about the nuances of the Liver organ system. Enhancing Liver function and detoxification was imperative for these patients. I’ve built on this foundational experience for the last ten years, developing a program that not only can improve the Liver’s detoxification capacity, but can also educate patients about how their Liver works, enabling them to carry these principals into their everyday life, and benefit from this experience long after the three week cleanse is over.

“So what exactly IS the Liver Detoxification Program?” and “How do I sign up?” are usually the next two questions. 

The Liver Detoxification Program combines Oriental, Western and Naturopathy diagnosis and treatments. For more information on the details of the program click here. 

Don’t need any more information? Ready to book your 1st visit? click here.  You should allow 1.5 hours for the first visit. It is substantially longer and thus more expensive than your next three acupuncture visits.

Get ready to experience a whole new level of health! Schedule schedule your Liver Detoxification visit today!

It is important to educate the public on this condition because it is so prevalent world wide. It is generally acknowledged that an estimated 10% of all women during their reproductive years are affected by endometriosis. This is a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus is found elsewhere in the body, which can lead to extreme pain and reproductive complications.

The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book on fertility enhancement:

The most common signs and symptoms of endometriosis include:

• Painful periods
• Intense cramping may start 1-2 days prior to menstruation and can be so severe that it causes vomiting, diarrhea and fainting.
• Pain at the end of or just AFTER menses
• Irregular cycles
• Annovulatory cycles
• Premenstrual spotting
• Painful intercourse

Risk factors:

• History of sexual abuse
• High levels of stress
• High serum levels of prolactin, cortisol and/or the presence of autoantibodies
• Prior use of intra-uterine devices (IUDs)
• Close female relative with endometriosis
• Infertility
• Basal Body Temperature graph abnormalities
• The temperature does not drop significantly at the beginning of the period, or it may drop but then rises during the menstrual bleeding.
• At ovulation time the temperature takes several days to rise, or it rises but then falls again in a few days

What does Oriental Medicine have to offer for Endometriosis?

The most common symptom of endometriosis is pelvic pain. The pain often correlates to the menstrual cycle, but a woman with endometriosis may also experience pain that doesn’t correlate to her cycle – this is what makes this disease/condition so unpredictable and frustrating. For many women, the pain of endometriosis is so severe and debilitating that it impacts their lives in significant ways.

Endometriosis can also cause scar tissue and adhesions to develop that can distort a woman’s internal anatomy. It is estimated that 30-40% of women with endometriosis may not be able to have children.

The most common symptoms of endometriosis include fatigue, infertility, painful sexual intercourse, intense pain before and during the menstrual cycle, painful urination and bowel movements during menstrual cycle, diarrhea, constipation, nausea, allergies, chemical sensitivities and frequent yeast infections.

Where: SC Bible Church, 440 Frederick Street, Room WC-10

When: Monday, July 18th from 6:30-8:30

See you there!

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!

I feel so fortunate to be the only acupuncturist from the Santa Cruz area who has done a preceptorship at RMFC, the fertility clinic with the largest database of acupuncture + IVF patients in the world. During this training I observed artificial reproductive medicine techniques (ART) such as IVF, IUI, and ICSI (a fertilization technique used to combine sperm and egg during IVF). It was an amazing view into the world of Western reproductive medicine. While I have been using Oriental medicine for several years to enhance fertility naturally and in combination with ART, like the great majority of acupuncturists, I have never actually SEEN these procedures.

Being a researcher as well as a clinician, my second objective during my week-long stay was to write a prospective research study on acupuncture and IVF. In retrospective  study of over 800 patients the Cridennda/Magarelli Acupuncture Protocol (CMAP) has been shown to:

• Increase the number of pregnancy rates AND  healthy babies
• Decrease the number of miscarriages
• Decrease the number of birth complications
• Normalize key stress/reproductive hormones
• This protocol helped all patients, but especially “poor responders” who are women over 38 whose partners have poor sperm quality

Now we want to know if the changes in stress hormones in the blood of these patients reflect changes in stress hormones in the follicular fluid (the fluid in which the egg grows in the ovary). This could lead us to a better understanding of how the CMAP improves IVF success rates.

I started providing the CMAP to my patients undergoing IVF because of the research behind this protocol. It has made such a difference in so many of my patient’s lives. In my clinical experience, combining the CMAP with IVF improves outcomes dramatically. This motivated me to add to the significant bank of data behind this protocol, so I went to Colorado to write a study.

Our study was submitted to the Internal Review Board and we are now waiting for their decision, cross your fingers!

* How a person’s constitution plants the seeds that can give rise to symptoms and ill health

* The importance of strengthening the constitution first to facilitate deeper healing and the true resolution of symptoms

* Factors that slow or interfere with the body’s ability to heal, thus turning an acute problem into a chronic one such as: hormonal factors, poor digestion, structural issues, toxicity from drugs or environmental influences, stress and nervous system/adrenal gland imbalances

* The specific relationship between structural issues and gynecological problems

Would it surprise you to know that high heels may contribute to painful periods and infertility? Or that the chronic shoulder pain you suffer from may be caused by constriction in your lower back and pelvis? Or that your headaches and sinus congestion can affect your pituitary (the master glad that controls all of your hormones)?

The best part is that there are specific treatment strategies to address all of these issues!

Given that my clinical doctorate is in Women’s Health and Pain Management and I’m pursuing a PhD in Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, this powerful seminar on holistic gynecology was based in line with my training and philosophy of healing AND expanded my knowledge base.

I feel so excited to share this information and experience with my patients!

What Acupuncture is used for during Cancer Treatment

Acupuncture provides a total approach to health care for people with cancer. It can be used to address many of the concerns that come up during and after chemotherapy, radiation, biological therapy and surgery.

According to the National Cancer Institute, acupuncture may cause physical responses in nerve cells, the pituitary gland, and parts of the brain. These responses can cause the body to release proteins, hormones, and brain chemicals that control a number of body functions. It is proposed that, by these actions, acupuncture affects blood pressure and body temperature, boosts immune system activity, and causes the body’s natural painkillers, such as endorphins, to be released.

Areas that acupuncture has shown the most promise include:

Chemo-Induced Nausea Study

Effect of Acupuncture on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting

According to the National Cancer Institute, of all the investigated effects of acupuncture on cancer-related or chemotherapy-related symptoms and disorders, the positive effect of acupuncture on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting is the most convincing.

Numerous studies have consistently shown acupuncture to be effective in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting as well as as postoperative and morning sickness nausea and vomiting.

A randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial investigated the effect of electro-acupuncture on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in 104 patients with breast cancer who were undergoing a highly emetogenic (causes vomiting) chemotherapy regimen. The patients were randomly assigned to receive low-frequency electro-acupuncture at classic acupuncture points for nausea and vomiting once daily for 5 days, minimal needling at control points with mock electro-acupuncture on the same schedule, or no adjunct needling. All patients received concurrent antiemetic drugs (prochlorperazine, lorazepam, and diphenhydramine) and high-dose chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide, cisplatin, and carmustine).

The main outcome measures were the total number of emesis (vomiting) episodes and the proportion of emesis-free days occurring during the 5-day study period. The data revealed significantly fewer emesis episodes in the electro-acupuncture treatment group compared with those in the minimal needling and drug-only control groups.

Source:Shen J, Wenger N, Glaspy J, et al.: Electroacupuncture for control of myeloablative chemotherapy-induced emesis: A randomized controlled trial. JAMA 284 (21): 2755-61, 2000.

Source: National Cancer Institute. www.cancer.org

In a blinded, controlled clinical trial which lasted 7 years and included over 800 patients, researchers in Colorado Springs found that

the specific “Cridennda-Magerelli Acupuncture Protocol” dramatically improved IVF success rates in the following ways:

• Significantly higer rates of healthy babies
• Less ectopic pregnancies
• Fewer miscarriages
• Fewer multiple pregnancies
• Normalization of FSH, prolactin and cortisol
• Improved blood flow to the uterus, which is essential for embryo implantation
• Couples where the women is 38 or older and the man has poor sperm quality showed dramatic improvement

These results are amazing! I had the opportunity to speak at length with Dr. Magarelli about his study and he and I are planning to conduct further research into how acupuncture corrects imbalances in key reproductive hormones in women going through IVF. 

I am happy to provide the Cridennda-Magarelli protocol for patients going through IVF. Simply click on “Schedule Appointment” at the top right corner of the website to get started!