My later father, along with being a “regular” doctor (anesthesiologist) was an acupuncturist as well. We lived in a tiny, isolated northern Minnesota town (think of the movie FARGO), and acupuncture (along with other Asian goodies, such as tofu, sticky rice, real soy sauce) was unknown in our part of the woods in the 70s.
However, word quickly spread that my dad’s treatments really worked, because soon enough it seemed like the whole town was showing up to his pain clinic. To hear his (former) patient tell it, his office looked like Lourdes, what with all the discarded and forgotten canes (as their owners walked out without them), the left-behind bottles of heavy pain and migraine medications, Ace bandages, etc., etc. Even big, burly iron miners came in regularly to have my father poke them with hair-thin needles, and soon their back pain, constipation, even cravings for smoking went away. Often, people didn’t have enough money to pay (back then, of course, insurance didn’t pay for this exotic alternative treatment), but my father, like any good country doctor, took whatever his clients were willing to give: cents on the dollar, hand knitted slippers, slabs of venison and moose, and once, a hand painted decorative circular saw.
My father has passed away, so when I was having some problems with my Chronic Fatigue Immune Deficiency Syndrome (CFIDS), I went straight to Dr. Jiao, whose office is near campus. He reminded me a lot of my dad, with his endless acupuncture models, the crates of needles, his delight at being able to relieve pain. Dr. Jiao was also surprised and pleased to first see me because, apparently, I was his only Asian patient.
Like my father’s, his office was entirely packed whenever I went in. It was also packed with pictures of Dr. Jiao holding his patients’ babies. They lined his walls like shingles. It was then I was introduced to the concept of acupuncture for fertility. This was the one area my father had not explored.
It’s not just yin and yang, acupuncture can actually increase blood flow to the uterus, help balance hormones, and set the stage for a healthy pregnancy. Many people are still skeptical about acupuncture in the orthodox medical community, but the fertility doctor whom I consult with is unequivocally in favor of it, and thinks all women trying to conceive should see an acunpuncturist.
In a later post, I’ll be exploring the “biz” of fertilityâ€â€there are fixes enough for everyone, and plenty of people waiting to take your money as well. Acupuncture, however, is one of those things that’s the real deal if you can find a good practioner. Dr. Jiao, like my father, is also a physician.
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