Life Medicine Clinic - Acupuncture and chinese herbal medicine clinic

What are the advantages of traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine?
Traditional Chinese Medicine sees the person as an integral mind/body organism. Therapy does not treat just symptoms or diseases. Instead, it ventures to stimulate the body's natural healing potential by treating root causes.

Can I take Chinese Herbs while on a drug schedule from an IVF Clinic?
Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine, used in the treatment of infertility, minimises undesirable side effects and accumulated toxicity from invasive procedures and drug therapies, known and unknown. In addition, it may be used to strengthen and balance one's general health so that IVF, GIFT, ZIFT, ICSI, AHT and TET procedures are more effective. Studies in China have been carried out to verify the usefulness of this approach.

Can Chinese Herbs help male infertility?
Chinese herbs can aid the motility of sperm and raise the sperm count in males.

I am a 40+ male. Does this affect the herbal treatment?
If you have a history of STDs, drug, alcohol, or sexual abuse, urinary tract infections, burning urination, chronic lower back pain, prostatitis, difficulty passing urine, or other urological health issues, it takes longer to rejuvenate the reproductive system. The extent of the rejuvenation is relative to the effort and inherent constitution of the individual. Generally though you should be focussing realistically on six to nine months before expecting to evaluate the results.

I am a 40+ female. Does this affect the herbal treatment?
If you have a history of either numerous fertility drugs (over 3 cycles), birth control pills, PMS, ART procedures, elevated FSH, polycystic ovaries, endometriosis, sperm antibodies, or a history of drug, alcohol, or smoking abuse, it will usually take longer to balance the reproductive system. Generally though, you should be focussing realistically on six to nine months before expecting to evaluate the results.

Can I use Chinese Herbs to help my constitution even if I'm not classed as Infertile?
Yes (male and female). The widespread use of traditional Chinese Medicine suggests that it is a complete system and can be used with or without the integration of Western medical techniques. The integration of Western techniques as we know them, began in the Orient less than a century ago.

What can I expect from a treatment?
Jo aims, during the first consultation, to determine the nature of the disharmony by careful questioning and observation. Diagnosis may include examination of the tongue for its structure, colour and coating and of the pulses at the wrists, which are felt for their quality strength and rhythm.

There is no set number of treatments. However characteristically, if treating with herbs alone, once every two weeks or once a month is sufficient. In practice, Jo usually combines the herbs with some or several of the following treatments: Acupuncture, Dietary Therapy, Exercise, and Lifestyle Management.

How often will I have to take the herbs and for how long?
Whether you are having Acupuncture too, or just taking Chinese Herbs, consistency is of vital importance. It is particularly important for men, as improving the motility of sperm and raising the sperm count, start to take effect at the fourth month of treatment. It takes 70 days to generate new sperm.

Timing and consistency is also important for women, as there are specific hormonal adjustments that need to be made at each week of the cycle. Missing a week of treatment may mean that you lose an important opportunity to heal a particular segment of the four-phase cycle. It takes three cycles to complete the foundations of regulation, regardless of biological age.

Are Chinese Herbs safe?
Chinese Medicine has been used as front line medicine by the majority of the world's population since before recorded history and is still the most widely utilised medical system in the world today. Adverse reactions to Chinese herbs are extremely rare and are negligible when compared to those commonly produced by pharmaceutical drugs.

What is the cost of treatment
**All treatments/consultations are one hour in length

Treatment times	Consultation	Follow up appointments
Between 9am - 6pm	£100	£70
Between 6pm - 8pm	£110	£80

- For Chinese herbal medicine estimate around £12-15 per week in addition to the treatment charges above.
- Out of clinic hours one - hour embryo transfer treatments are £75 each (subject to availability).

How can I make an appointment?
Phone Jo on 020 8374 4566 for an appointment at her clinic in Highgate, North London.

What do Jo's clients say?

Infertility
Having already had one child successfully through IVF treatment, I had been trying for 4 years to conceive again through the same process. I originally went along to see Jo for Reflexology to support my general health whilst having the IVF treatment, but she has ended up giving far more than this.

Jo has listened carefully to the diagnosis I have reported of the Western medicine and recommended alternative therapies at each stage to support the scientific process. She has performed acupuncture as well as prescribed Chinese herbs which have been very specific to my problems. She has carefully tweaked these prescriptions through each stage and I am now in the early stages of pregnancy.

I do believe that Jo's contribution has made a difference to the IVF cycle this time and I am convinced that her treatments can work fantastically alongside the traditional Western methods of assisted conception.
L.S., Mother, London N10

Successful in getting pregnant
As a typical anxious 37 year old hoping to conceive, I visited Jo to help ensure that my health was the best it could be to help make it happen. Along with reading lots of material on detoxing for the run-up to the preconception period I visited Jo regularly over a period of a few months. I had convinced her and myself that it might take a while and was absolutely amazed and overjoyed when I became pregnant after my partner and I had only been trying for 3 months. I now have a beautiful and very relaxed little Aquarian boy named Marlow who has slept through most nights since week 5 and smiles the rest of the time. Jo's Acupuncture treatments and general wisdom were invaluable - she also helped me to learn acupressure points for inducing labour and for using during labour itself.
J.S., Political Consultant, Sydney

Unexplained infertility
I had experienced unexplained infertility for four years. During this time I underwent a number of invasive procedures at my local hospital, with no conclusive reason why I wasn't able to conceive. I also had a successful cycle of IVF but miscarried in the twelfth week.

On the advice of a friend I went to Jo for an acupuncture consultation. This was much more relaxed than the hospital appointments I had experienced; the Life Medicine Centre is a calm environment with her own paintings on the wall. I was given the time to describe my history and felt I was being listened to. We agreed I would have weekly acupuncture sessions and a prescription of Chinese herbs. Each week Jo would carry out non-invasive diagnostic tests and ask me about my well being and health before deciding the best course of acupuncture treatment for the session. About monthly the prescription of herbs would alter to meet my needs. After three months I fell pregnant naturally, however, I had an early miscarriage. I continued to see Jo weekly - this was very helpful at keeping me calm and positive as well as restoring my health. Three months later I conceived naturally again. In the early weeks after this Jo gave me a special formula of herbs to try to prevent another miscarriage and acupuncture to secure the foetus and maintain my health and emotional wellbeing. I continued to see Jo weekly until about sixteen weeks then fortnightly until my second scan. I am now 37 weeks pregnant and my partner and I are looking forward to the birth of our much awaited first child.

Jo's exceptional expertise, ability to listen and diagnose and calm, welcoming manner all contributed to this success. This is in contrast to the naturally busy and rushed environme