Chamomile tea, honey and lemon juice, exercise. . .I have always aimed to eat healthy (this doesn't mean I am a saint. . .I get weak in the knees for junk food just like the rest of the world), and try more natural remedies before I would down two tablespoons of cough syrup or head to the doctor for this pain or that. I don't recall our mother giving us ginger tea or anything, but we also didn't run to the doctor for every last cough or pain. My sister ended up as a massage therapist and I am the 'crunchy' daughter, so somewhere it all rubbed off onto us.
This all being said, up until 2008, I never turned to anything like acupuncture, reiki, energy healing, etc. Early 2008 though, I had to have an emergency surgery, and have one ovary removed. It was terrifying, and made hubby and I think, maybe we shouldn't wait the two extra planned years to start a family. I was told I wouldn't have any problems due to only having the one ovary- and I don't think I did. But, to make sure my body was healed and ready, I visited a dear friend, Janet, co-owner of Wepner Wellness. We did one energy session. . .hindsight, I probably should have done more.
Fast-forward a year later. Still not pregnant. Now counting days in my cycle, taking my temperature. . .I don't wish this on my enemies. This is not how it is supposed to be. We had two miscarriages, and so finally I made an appointment with the doctor. Of course there was a magic pill. . .but I refused. Steven and I always knew we would adopt, and we had decided at the beginning of our journey that we would not try any western style mumbo jumbo- no pills- no 'magic' procedures- no weird hormones. But we didn't say anything about acupuncture. . .
I kept hearing how this person had done acupuncture and got pregnant, and that person, so I asked Steven for one more month. If it didn't happen then we would start the process towards adoption. So I made an appointment with Dr. Hemmen in Hickory and started acupuncture. I went twice a week based on points in my cycle. After the first week I could start to tell a difference in my overall health and well being. After the first month, I told Steven that I knew this would be it. So we continued. . .well, we never had to finish the second month. No doubt in my mind, it was the acupuncture. I had lived my whole life up until this point with what I thought was the norm- I was so wrong. Hormones really can make things wacky when they are a bit out of whack!
I continued a few other times during the pregnancy. For anxiety mostly. When you get as big as I did. . .well you start to get a bit anxious about the logistics :).
So my son has made us believers.
I would love to hear any experiences you may have had with acupuncture, or any other type of alternative therapy. If you would like to be a guest blogger this week, please let me know. I would be glad to link blogs and share with our communities!