INFERTILITY testimonials
Note: for privacy purposes, we have elected not to use names on our website. All of these testimonials were volunteered by our patients.
My troubles began when I was in college at University in 2000. I came down with a severe viral illness. Initially I developed painful nodules on my right ankle. Then a strange illness quickly spread through my body, and I was hospitalized for significant joint swelling and severe pain and was treated for autoimmune disease. The doctor told me that at the rate my disease was progressing, I might only have two years to live.
Despite that diagnosis, I eventually made a partial recovery and managed to graduate from college. But when I wasn’t able to find a job, I lost my health insurance. My medications cost over $400 a month, which I could not afford, so I discontinued taking them even though I still had significant body pain.
During 2005, my life changed significantly — I got married, started postgraduate studies, and suffered deep emotional traumas. It was all too much, and not long after that, my body collapsed.
In addition to the increasing pain, I started dealing with a growing depression. My family physician put me back on steroids as well as antidepressants and later, narcotic drugs. I became so ill that I had to withdraw from school and I was in such pain that I could barely use my arms and legs. I ended up in the emergency room and was eventually diagnosed as having severe fibromyalgia.
After that came pain management treatments with months of Lidocaine shots, Lidoderm patches, and Lyrica. Lyrica, a medication used for fibromyalgia, did help but it also made me feel high and gain a lot of weight, and it caused strange suicidal thoughts.
Finally, in January of 2008, a trainer at my gym suggested I go to the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine. I checked with my doctor who told me he had read about people having success with acupuncture for pain, so I decided to go. The short story is that within two months of starting an integrative protocol with Steve Amoils, MD, I was thriving and off all my medications.
During my first office consult, Dr. Amoils acknowledged the severity of my condition, but he told me not to focus on the fibromyalgia pain as that was just one piece of the puzzle. He said that looking for a magic bullet was unlikely to help and that I needed a multi-dimensional approach, and he suggested using an integrative and functional medicine approach. After running a number of tests, he diagnosed me with also having insulin resistance.
I was put on a lifestyle change program that included a low glycemic load diet, daily exercise, daily meditation and relaxation techniques, and a regimen of acupuncture treatments, massage and ACE treatments (acupuncture, chiropractic and energy healing completed in one session). Dr. Amoils also started me on several targeted supplements, including Vitamin D and fish oil. This multi-faceted approach alleviated my pain, helped me sleep better, improved my insulin resistance, and enabled me to reduce my medications and eventually stop taking them altogether.
As my life improved, my husband and I decided to have a baby, but insulin resistance can cause infertility. I worked with Claudia Harsh, MD, Director of Gynecology at the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine, who prescribed an acupuncture regimen to increase fertility. I was able to get pregnant within a month and a half. During the pregnancy I controlled gestational diabetes predominantly with diet and I am happy to report that I was able to deliver our son without complications.
I still believe in and use traditional medicine; however, in this case, I sincerely believe that the integrative approach and the acupuncture treatments helped me heal and also helped my body attain a state where it was able to handle the stress of pregnancy. My child is now five months old and I am very healthy. I am off all medications except glucosamine and postnatal vitamins. And I am counting my blessings.
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What a refreshing surprise! You were genuinely interested in my problem and pregnancy. I never felt like a patient, more like a colleague. The process was interesting. The results, even better. I felt relief that very afternoon and continue to feel it.
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My husband and I tried to concieve for 1 year but we were unsuccessful. I was referred to the Alliance Institute & treated for infertility with acupuncture and energy balancing techniques. It was a very natural, relaxing & succesful experience. With the help of Dr. Harsh & Betsy Lorenzi, I was pregnant after only 2 cycles. I would highly recommend the Alliance Institute.
