Articles by Jamie Catlett

Jamie Catlett is an acupuncturist in Jacksonville, FL and the founder of Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic. She specializes in alternative pain management therapies and helping women get pregnant with acupuncture fertility treatments.

Infertility can be the result of unhealthy and poor lifestyle and sexual habits. These may include:

· Stress – Too much stress can significantly lessen a man’s sperm count; it can also cause irregularities in a woman’s menstrual cycle.

· Clothing – Constant wearing of tight pants may cause a man the ability to produce a normal and adequate sperm count since the tight pants elevates the temperature on his crotch negatively affecting the production of sperm.

· Eating habits – A woman can become infertile from anorexia or starvation diets.

  • Drugs – Illegal and certain prescribed medications can cause infertility in both man and woman. The same is true with alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking.
  • Use of improper lubricants – Using the wrong lubricant for sex that kills sperm can cause male infertility
  • Lack of sexual activity – Little sexual activity can render a man impotent and therefore infertile

There are many potential reasons why a female can become infertile and some of the common reasons are illnesses, complications in the reproductive organs and hormonal deficiencies. Surgery and some medications can also lead to female infertility.

Some other common causes of female infertility are:

  • Illness – High blood pressure, kidney problems and diabetes rank high in the causes for infertility. Urinary tract infection as well as an ectopic pregnancy can also cause female infertility.
  • Premature menopause – There are some females below menopausal age who all of a sudden just stop producing eggs. This can be the result of anorexia or too much exercise.
  • Medications – Temporary infertility can be one of the side effects of certain drugs like analgesics, antidepressants, antibiotics and hormonal drugs. Acetaminophen can also bring about infertility by effecting the luteinizing hormones and estrogen in the body.
  • Poor Cervical mucous quality – When the cervical mucus of a woman fails to thin, it makes it hard for the sperm to travel far and makes it unable to fertilize the egg. An infected cervix can also cause infertility.
  • Weak uterine muscle function – Poor muscle contraction may prevent the sperm from reaching the egg.
  • Surgery – Scar tissue from surgery of the abdomen can limit the movement of the eggs and weaken the function of the reproductive organs causing infertility. Abortions can leave scar tissues in the cervix which can obstruct the uterus and cause infertility.
  • Abnormal reproductive organs – Uterine abnormality like endometritis can make it hard for the fertilized egg to attach itself to the uterine lining.
  • Fibroids – These are growths which can be found in the cervix or fallopian tubes that prevent the sperm from reaching the egg or the fertilized egg from reaching the uterine wall.
  • Luteal phase defect – This type of problem means not enough progesterone is produced to reinforce the uterine lining which prevents the fertilized egg from attaching itself there.
  • Immune system dysfunction – Sometimes a woman’s immune system identifies the sperm as a foreign body and attacks the sperm leading to infertility.
  • Hormonal Problems – Thyroid or adrenal deficiencies or excessive prolactin production can lead to infertility.
  • Problems in the ovary
  • Sexually transmitted diseases
  • Endometriosis – Some parts of the uterine lining attaches themselves in the pelvis, tubes, ovaries and vagina of the woman. These parts can lead to scars that block the passage of the ovum
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS – This condition means that testosterone and LH levels are high while levels of FSH levels low preventing follicles to produce eggs resulting in infertility,
  • High cholesterol or insulin levels
  • Pelvic Inflammatory Disease or PID – This is caused by pelvic infection or infection of the uterus, cervix, fallopian tubes or ovaries of the female causing infertility or blood poisoning, ectopic pregnancy or even death.

Causes of Male Infertility

Problems with the sperm are often the cause of infertility of the male. These can include poor quality sperm or low sperm count. There are factors that can contribute to this problem and they can be:

· Chronic infections of the prostate

· Testicle injury

· Medications – Sperm count and quality can be affected by drugs such as chemotherapy drugs (Neosar and Cytoxan), corticosteroids, Axulfidine, Folex, Dilantin or Tagamet; tranquilizers or meds for high blood pressure

· Chemical or metal exposure – these can include pesticides or lead based chemicals

· Spinal cord injury

· Surgery – Prostate, bladder or neck surgery

· Diseases – Multiple sclerosis or diabetes

· Retrograde ejaculation – Instead of pushing the sperm out, this condition pushes the sperm back into the bladder.

· Infections – Tuberculosis or gonorrhea

· Undescended testicle – One or both testes remain in the cavity which normally should have descended even before birth

· Swollen veins in the scrotum

· Under-developed testes

Other causes of male infertility are:

· Sexual performance problems due to painful intercourse, premature ejaculation or impotence.

· Hormonal problems that abruptly stops a man’s capacity to produce sperm – This can arise from birth, from hormonal problems caused by malnutrition, too much exercise, certain illnesses, radiation exposure or tumors in the pituitary gland

· Structural problems or genetic defects – Y chromosome defects or germ-cell aplasia can cause a man’s infertility.

 

Do you have questions or want to learn about acupuncture fertility treatments?

Call us at (904) 260-2598 or click here to send us an e-mail.

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Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic
9066 Cypress Green Dr
Jacksonville, FL 32256
(904) 260-2598

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Hi guys,
I was just doing my daily yahoo reading and came across this article http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/is-skim-milk-making-you-fat-2479492/ ) that was discussing the benefits and drawbacks of skim versus whole milk. This article has a lot of good information but I found some of it to be a tad misleading. The article quotes several studies that claim that reducing calories will not lead to long-term weight loss. While this is true to some extent, a reduction in calories to a proper level for your ideal body weight is exactly what you need to lose weight permanently. This, combined with eating a variety of whole, nutritious foods will lead not only to permanent weight loss, but will help stave off many of the chronic deseases affecting Americans today. The reason that restricted calorie diets don’t seem to work in the long run is because people think of the restriction as a short-term thing, and generally return to poor eating habits after the weight is lost. Permanent weight loss requires a life long commitment to eating healthy.

The article also quotes studies that make it seem as though you can replace your skim milk consumption with the same amount of whole milk and not only avoid gaining weight, but lose weight. While it is true that fat in your diet helps you feel satisfied longer and keep your blood sugar levels down, it is not the more, the merrier. You have to watch your fat consumption and get the proper amounts. The leading nutritional guidelines state that fat should make up 25-30% of you daily calorie intake. So don’t go gulping whole milk afer this article. Use your common sense.

All in all this is a great article outlining the benefits of whole, un-manipulated foods. Try to eat your foods the way they are provided for us naturally and for the most part you can’t go wrong. Stay healthy my friends.

Anl article in Men’s Health Magazine has researchers in the healthcare field weighing in on alternative medicine modalities including Acupuncture. It’s a quick, esay read and gives a good nod to Acupuncture for headaches and low back pain: http://www.menshealth.com/health/cure-or-crock. At Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic we treat a variety of ailments including headaches and low back pain. If you are suffering, call us to schedule your free consultation today.

Do you know the difference between a licensed acupuncture physician and a Certified Acupuncture Physician? No? Don’t feel like a fool. Most people don’t.

A license in acupuncture is reserved for those who have graduated from an ACAOM accredited school for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and have passed the NCCAOM board examinations, as well as the CCAOM Clean Needle Techniques exam along with other requirements. The license is given through the state the acupuncturist is in and the requirements are rigorous. A licensed acupuncture physician has around 3000 hrs of school and training in Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine, as well as Western Medicine, as has normally seen around 350 patients during their clinical internship.

A certification in acupuncture is received by other healthcare practitioners such as MDs, Chiropractors, and DOs who can have as little as 100 hrs of training with some of the classes being available online. The American Board of Medical Acupuncture requires 300 hrs of training, 200 in class and 100 clinical. This equates to 1/10 the training that your licensed acupuncturist has. Certification is not a license regulated by the state, but by an independent certifying body.

While most treatments by physicians who receive their Acupuncture Certifications should be safe, they will not be as effective. Acupuncture is a healing science as well as art that requires instincts developed by devoted practice to acupuncture alone. At Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic our physicians are licensed by the State of Florida and Board Certified by the NCCAOM. We are here to help you with your healthcare needs. Call us to schedule your no-cost consultation and begin feeling better today.

Ah, vacations. Is there anything better that the embrace of a warm tropical breeze as you stroll along a forgotten beach with the crystal blue water lapping at your feet to make your stress seem worlds away? For me the answer is no. Maybe that isn’t the vacation that everyone dreams about, but regardless of your ideal destination, a vacation can bring you back to zero on the stress-o-meter.

But alas, great news. You don’t have to brave today’s air travel jungle to get the stress relieving benefits of a vacation. An article in Men’s Health Magazine tells you how to get stress relief from your vacation even after your tan has faded.

These tips along with regular acupuncture treatments can help you manage your daily stress so you can focus on your health and the things that are truly important in life. Stress has been shown to be a contributing factor for most of the chronic conditions that affect Americans today and acupuncture is a time tested way to help manage your stress. Call us at Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic to set up your no-cost consultation and let your stress melt away!

Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic
www.jacksonvilleacupunctureclinic.com
904-260-2598

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Today I learned about this great website called Thumbtack. It allows you to list your business so prospective patients (or clients) can find you online.

The site is very user friendly and gives you points for going the extra mile. If you’re looking to get more exposure for your business on the internet check out Thumbtack.com. Here’s my Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic listing. Check it out -–> Jacksonville Acupuncture Clinic

Click the yellow logo to see our listing.

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Losing weight is a very hard process especially if the person is 40 yrs. old or above.  At this age and beyond, the ability to burn calories is not as efficient as it used to be.  Working out at this age, especially for a sedentary person can be strenuous and hard especially after a wicked workout where one can merely manage to lose just a fourth of a pound.  Sometimes the reason to do it gets lost along with the aching muscles and demoralized spirit.

Dieting may be a better option for weight loss for the sedentary person.  Cutting on calories is a good way to lose weight, that is, if one has the will power to see the process through.  The problem starts when if one somehow manages to lose weight through dieting, the urge to overeat will still be there and it really takes exceptional will power to deny that urge especially when presented with mouth-watering delicacies. Eating low calorie, highly nutritious food is always a good decision but again, it takes a lot of will power to stick to this lifestyle.  In short, dieting may even be harder for the body to do than working out.

Another option would be taking weight loss medications.  This surely looks the easiest of the lot.  Appetite suppressing pills work but at some point, the strength of the pill wanes and larger doses may be needed for the same effect to take place. The downside to this program is the side effects the drugs have on the body, especially the kidney where the toxic ingredients of the drug can wreak havoc on this vital organ’s functionality in the long-term.

With acupuncture for weight loss, one does not need to undergo any strenuous exercise programs nor does one need to experience agonizing and frustrating diet programs.  The power of chi, the Chinese word for the life force in the body and the universe essentially is the force that one only needs to treat an obese person of her sickness and proclivity to overeat.

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), the reason for sicknesses, maladies and ailments is the imbalance of chi flowing in the body.  The chi travels through channels called meridians.  These meridians distribute chi though all parts of the body.  If the chi stagnates or gets stuck in a particular part of the body, the person experiences sickness or diseases related to that part.

For obesity, the common areas where chi deprivation usually occurs and, which acupuncture targets, are the kidney, lungs, liver, spleen and the nervous system.  Some acupuncture points for obesity are also located in the ear since the ear has several meridian points connected to virtually all major organs in the body, not least, the central nervous system.

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