Fertility Friday: Consult with an Eastern Practioner

There is a great field of research and medicine out there that we are fortunate enough to have access to. Eastern medicine looks at the body, mind and soul in a different way than traditional Western medicine. This different perspective can often shed light on issues that we may have been feeling immobilized by in the past. Acupuncture is a great way to start. Many acupuncturists will give you an eastern diagnosis, using the 5 Element method or Traditional Chinese Medicine and you might find that it fits. It can also help to tailor your diet and lifestyle modifications in a way that makes sense to you.

Which IUD should I choose?

I receive many questions about IUDs (intrauterine devices) and because of older versions of these devices were harmful, their current offsprings have gotten a bad rap. In fact, IUDs are
extremely effecitve and patients who use them are very satisfied.  We only have about 6% of women in the United States who use birth control using IUDs. Part of this is becasue are mothers are remembering IUDs from the 60's and how they decreased fertility and increase the risk of uterine infection. We also still think that they are not for women who have never been pregnant, when in fact, they are a great idea for these women.  Currently, there are three types of IUDs on the market: Click on each for a link to their site.

• Skyla
• Mirena
• Paragard

Hormonal
Skyla are Mirena are progesterone containing IUDs and are made of plastic. The Paragard is a non-hormonal containing IUD made of copper. The Skyla and Mirena work by thickening the cervical mucus and blocking sperm from entering the uterus. They also work to inhibit ovulation and implanation.  

Non-Hormonal
The Paragard IUD works by preventing fertilization.  When there is a foreign body in the uterus, it causes an inflammatory reaction which disruptions fertilization, implanation and is hostle to sperm.

For more information, click of each link to see the prescribers information and talk to your healthcare provider.

Obama Care

The Affordable Healthcare Act
It's hard to completely understand how this change will impact us each specifically. The Obama campagin has a tool on their website where you can put in specific factors about the health care you have now and it will generate a read out of how your care will change.  Linked here

The Pros include: (taken from Slate, the Wall Street Journal and Barack Obama and Mitt Romney's campaign websites)

• An increase in benefits for the uninsured
• Senior citizes will gain acess to billions of dollars in prescription benefits
• Everyone withinsurance will get free preventive serices
• It will increase coverage for those with a pre-existing condition
• Working families are protected from losing their health care or being forced into bankruptcy when a family member gets sick or is in an accident
• adult children can stay on their parent's health plan until the age of 26
• Mammograms, pap smears and immunixations will be covered without a co-pay including breastfeeding support, contraception, HPV testing, and domestic volence screenings
• Insurance companies are now required to justify rate hikes, and consumers have the ability to appeal to an independent third party when insurance companies refuse to cover services or care
• Starting in 2014, all Americans will have access to affordable health insurance no matter their circumstances—whether they change jobs, lose their job, decide to start a business, or retire early
• For patients, there will be fewer cash payments and lower fees.
• States can opt out of the act
• The law is expected to reduce the deficit by $127 billion from 2012 to 2021.

The Cons

• The act forces an insurer to sell a policy to someone who is already sick, which severely limits the insurer's right to charge that person a higher premium
• The bill, itself more than 2,400 pages long, relies on a dense web of regulations, fees, subsidies, excise taxes, exchanges, and rule-setting boards to give the federal government extraordinary control over every corner of the health care system
• States can opt out of certain sections of the act
• It you don't purchase health insurance you are responsible for a tax
• Flexible Spending Accounts will shrink to a maximum of $2,500
• You will only be able to deduct a medical expense from your taxes if it exceeds 10% of your gross income
• The costs are unknown

The unknowns:

• It is not known exactly how much this act will cost.  Speculation on both sides report a drastic increase in governement spending while democrats boast a reduction in spending and the overal deficit.  It remains unknown.
• The effect of “comparative effectiveness” practice guidelines on individual practioners. This is a part of the act that is aimed at improving quality while reducing costs. Republicans argue that it will be a way to manipulate provider freedom. This is explained in more detail in this NYT article. Click here