Connecting the Dots Immuno-Suprressant Therapy and Infertility

 Today the world found out that Glenn Frey a lead singer for the Eagle's Rock Band in America died.
A dear friend was so upset by this saying something to the effect of : "He died from Rheumatoid Arthritis and Colitis and Pneumonia at 67!? How is that possible?  I know a ton of people with rheumatoid arthritis.  Why are we dying so young? This is all too much"

Is it worth dying from medication?

I explained to her, that although I was not privy to his medical care, my expertise lead me to connect the dots.  He didn't actually die from Rheumatoid Arthritis.  He died from the prescription drugs he was taking to "treat" the rheumatoid arthritis which in turn diminished his immune system, causes an acute flare-up in his colon (colitis) and catching a virus that turned into pneumonia that in turn killed him. But sadly you don't read that in the paper and you think, well, we are all going to die some day. But you don't learn there could be a better way and a way to stay alive.

As I said before, I was not working with him personally on his case but the deduction of what happened was quite simple and even more scary, commonplace for treatment for many medical conditions.  Many of these medical conditions are serious and deblitating and most feel they don't have a choice but to take the prescriptions however, few of those patients have even tried natural medical treatment.  They may have dabbled, or tried acupuncture a few times to say "it didn't work".  That isn't consistent treatment, that isn't whole care. That isn't what I'm referring to.  Or they may say, I took some herbs.  Those didn't work and they tasted bad. Most people don't see a master herbalist, which is critical in serious medical cases.  Googling an herb and trying it is not medicine.  Taking one herb at a time, is bad medicine and ineffective anyways. 

Here are my speculations:
Mr. Fry was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.
He was then prescribed immuno-suppressant therapy including cortico-steroids to control his pain in his hands (I'm assuming) particularly since he was a guitar player and still performed. 

Here in lies the problem.  These drugs are so effective they lower your immune system. Mind you, they don't just lower your immune system; they actually kill your immune system.  These drugs prevent your immune system cells from dividing; if they can't divide, they die. But we don't read about that, do we?

So what?
Your immune system is vital for keeping you alive, preventing cancer and preventing infections.  Preventing infection in your respiratory system and in your digestive track...like Fry.  He had both.
 
It's vital to fight off infection, keep viruses from attacking your colon and  even an innocuous cold can turn to pneumonia and cause death, like that...like Fry.

How Did We Get Here?

Immuosuppressive therapy was created for organ transplants.  When you are fighting to live, in an organ transplant situation, these risks seem like a reasonable, albeit, frightening risk to take.  But when struggling with pain, that could be treated with acupuncture, herbal medicine and dietary changes instead, why wouldn't you try the natural medicine? Most don't.  Most don't know they could or rather should.

What Are Your Options?

So what are people who suffer from pain to do?  What if you have rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, crohn's disease, psoriasis, alopecia areota or Addison's disease? What are your treatment options?  Most here the diagnosis and get scared and immediately go on the drugs out of fear.  They don't say oh, thank you I'll get back to you on that.  The doctors often scare them into thinking they could die without the medications or will end up with curved fingers if left alone. The key being, if left alone.  Not, if treated by a master herbalist.  Not, if treated regularly with acupuncture.  If left alone.

This is what you do.  You seek out professional help from the most respected acupuncturist and herbalist in your area. If they are an herbalist, you can be treated from across the country with proper monitoring.   Today.  Not tomorrow.  Not after you have blood in your stool or your bladder is so irritated you have pain each and every time you urinate from more side-effects from the medication.  Not after you are catching every imaginable cold there is out there.  And sadly, if you are there already, that is ok, we can still help you.  It will just take longer to heal your body.

Immosuppressants, Cancer and Infertility?

Then you ask, what does this have to do with infertility?  John's Hopkins, a renowned medical facility in the United States dubbed Nubmer #1 in treating Rheumatology opening shares that immunosuppressant therapy is risky medicine and often lives are taken from it and some even cause infertility.

Cause infertility.

But instead of referring you to a form of medicine that is safe and works for these painful and often destructive forms of disease, they suggest yet another drug that may (or may not) preserve your fertility. Furthermore, long term use increases your risk for cancer.  These drugs also cause birth defects so trying to get pregnant while using them is working against you from every angle.

Beating Back Death Personal Case History

I had a patient, just like Mr. Fry except she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease and was put on immunosuppressant drugs to help her cope and manage with her disease.

She came to me for infertility because she couldn't get pregnant.

Her drugs were doing exactly as the side-effects said they would:
She had blood in her stool
Pus in her stool
She caught every cold and never, ever recovered from them
Exhausted beyond belief
She was puffy, exhausted and miserable


But she wanted a baby- luckily for us that motivates a person

The Chicken or The Egg?

I talked with her about the problem with me trying to help her get pregnant while she was on drugs that she could not be on while pregnant.  She said but my constipation and diarrhea?  I told her I would concurrently treat her for both her bowel disease and her infertility.

She talked to her doctor about going off the immunosuppressants as I explicitly told her I could not advise her to do that, she must discuss it with her doctor.  He adamantly said no, she would end up with a colostomy bag and even worse, get colon cancer.  She told him she was going off, she was under my care and that I would address both her bowel health and increase her fertility. She wanted a baby.  He was less then pleased and demanded she come back in 3 months to be checked.

She went off her medications.
I treated her for her Crohn's and IBS and you can guess what happened; she got healthy.
She got off the drugs that caused infertility
She got off the drugs that were making her sick


No more blood in her stool
No more pain
No more bloating
No more painful constipation or diarrhea
No colds
No runny nose
No inflammation, anywhere
And her exhaustion left her and she trained...for a 1/2 MARATHON!

She was ready to get pregnant.

Her doctor was skeptical and wanted to do another colonoscopy to see how she was doing 3 months into our treatment.  As he was putting her under for the procedure he mentioned a new immunosupressant drug he wanted to try with her. She was shocked.  She knew she no longer ever wanted to go on that type of medication again.

As she was coming out, he was astounded.  He told her that if he hadn't seen her colon before he would have never believed what he saw: her colon was completely healthy.  Not a trace of inflammation or disease. None.

But he cut into her anyway, just to be sure. Her biopsy came back as I expected: healthy.

With her permission, I wrote him a letter informing him that this was no mistake or miracle or fluke.  This was what is expected with my form of medicine and I would love to work integratively co-treating patients together to save lives, prevent infertility and help people from losing their colons or their lives.

We never heard from or received a referral from that doctor.

But the patient was finally happy and healthy and ready to conceive.

Source: http://www.hopkinslupus.org/?s=rheumatoid+arthritis+immuno+suppressant+therapy

Kristen N. Burris, L.Ac., M.S.T.O.M. Fertility Expert In The United States of America

Mrs. Burris takes the most challenging infertility cases in the United States and uses no drugs, nor surgeries for treating infertility.  She has an unprecedented track record with patients seeking help with their complicated infertility problems.  She consults with patients via phone, email and in her private practice in Eagle, Idaho.  (208) 938-1277
For more testimonials, photos and studies visit us here.

Better than IVF

 The Misconception

Recently, a dear friend of mine mentioned that if couples really want a baby badly enough, they just need to do IVF. I about died. 

This dear, sweet, friend has known me for over 12 years.  She has heard about my tremendous successful infertility practice but I guess she doesn't really understand, as most don't.  They read their magazines that constantly tout IVF.  They believe it's that easy; if your pockets are deep.  They think, if they are even aware of natural infertility treatments at all: Why bother with natural medicine?  It must take longer?  It must take more time, more money and must not be as effective? Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong and wrong, again.

They are thinking: IVF is real medicine.   IVF is simple: take some drugs and mix you and your husband in a tube and you are pregnant.  But boy are they mistaken.  It's not their fault.  It's media.  It's our doctors referrals to Reproductive Endocrinologists, not as a last resort but a first option.  It's our TV shows, our magazines, our big pharma, books, advertisements, movies and on the flip side, we rarely ever see acupuncture and herbal medicine portrayed in a true-to-life fashion.

I was beyond words when she said that IVF was a guarantee. I thought if one of my closest friends believes this, the world related to infertility is doomed.  How can we get the word out?  How can we educate people suffering from infertility? How can we right this devastating wrong?  We can and we will with facts, testimonials, studies, education and best selling books then movies. 

I was astounded at what she had said and started to spout the truth:
Acupuncture is exponentially more effective than IVF. Herbal medicine when prescribed is 1/10th of the cost and 3 times as effective than IVF.

Patients get pregnant usually in a third of the time compared to IVF.  

IVF Costs $12,000.00-$25,000.00 for One Attempt

IVF rarely works the first time.  Patients have to spend $12,000.00- $25,000.00 a month, a month, just to try for a baby with no guarantee.  They often become over stimulated, risking hospitalization or death.  Fertility drugs have proven to cause long term, very risky health problems for the woman.  Egg donor is pushed hard to increase the fertility centers weak odds.  They virtually ignore male factor saying they choose the best so not to worry, when in reality how are we to choose the best when God (if you believe) and nature pick the best, not doctors.  If they are the best, why do so many embryos die?  Why do so many pregnancies fail?  Are you prepared to create 10 or 20 of your own children only to know that within a week half of them will all die?  Are prepared for the emotional turmoil?  Are you aware that so many of your children will be created only to die?  Are you aware that often you will have your own children, frozen in time to never have an opportunity to be born?  Only to be flushed away or used for science.  Those are hard, unspoken truths about IVF no on is talking about. 

She was like, wow, I had NO idea.  You never hear about that in regards to IVF.

I was numb and sad but now, I'm inspired.  We are all so misinformed.  We don't know.  It's time that changed.

But Acupuncture is Weird

 
We either see an ancient Chinese man, who doesn't speak English, doing strange, mysterious things in an unclean environment with dim lights and smokes abound.  

Acupuncture Must Hurt 

Or we see the hyper-exaggeration or using 1,000 needles, the grotesque exaggeration of how it feels, always over emphasizing pain, rather than the actual peaceful even blissful feeling most get with each treatment.  

But in reality, what my friend so erroneously assumed is what the majority of people think.  It so very sad.  A travesty in fact.

So many suffer from infertility and they think IVF is their only option and that it actually works, the first time and if not, eventually is must. But they couldn't be more wrong.


This baby girl, born December 2015,  proves Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine is better than IVF.

Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine  Vs. IVF 

 (David Vs. Goliath)

 
* Studies prove our medicine is exponentially more effective
* Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine carries no life threatening side-effects
* Patients are twice as likely in 1/3 of the time to conceive and give birth compared to IVF
* Our fertility program costs a fraction of IVF
*Once pregnant our patients are far less likely to miscarry
*Ectopic pregnancy is almost completely avoided with our treatments
*Our live birth rates are higher
*Our babies overall are healthier and have fewer birth defects (so far, no serious birth defects in our practice of 15 years)

December was a month to remember. Here are some more precious newborn pictures of the latest miracle "infertility" baby born from our fertility treatments to inspire you during your struggles with infertility. .....I think it's time I hunker down and write a book for once and for all.  


For more inspiring testimonials and studies visit our website.  We offer consultations throughout the US for the most difficult infertility cases.  (208) 938-1277

Two Fold Pregnancy Rates Average in 4 Months Compared to 12 months of IVF

When you think of infertility you think of IVF.
You hear about In-vitro Fertilization.
Then you may think, that would never happen to me.


It's one of the number one questions I receive in my practice "Why didn't I hear about you earlier?" "Why didn't my doctor refer me to you?" "I wish I had known this before I went through 6 months of Clomid, 3 failed IUI's and 4 failed IVF's" "Why aren't there more news stories?"
"Why?"

The beauty about medicine today, that is different from even 15 years ago, is you have the tools and the power to research and share your findings with if not hundreds of people, maybe thousands or even millions.

Quickly reviewing a few of my patients successes I realize we need to empower more women and men struggling with infertility.  We need to educate our doctors and nurses about what is working for infertility and preventing miscarriage and to whom to refer to.  Not everyone is a specialist in fertility and those who generally treat everything, generally get average results. A vague response from your doctor when you ask about acupuncture as "oh, ok, sure you can try that." Is not a referral.

This is complicated.
It's complicated physically, emotionally, even spiritually.
Labs are missed or misread or misinterpreted.

5 years or 4 Months?

Just this week a patient of ours, who had sought the expertise of several doctors and nurses for 5 years gave birth.  5 years of failures and yet in four short months we were able to help her get pregnant by making recommendations for her and her husband.  The speed with which they had success getting pregnant with us far surpasses the proof that Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine, when prescribed by an expert in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine Practitioner, (not googled, not recommended by a friend or even a doctor who has no training in herbal medicine), patients are astoundingly:

Twice As Likely in 1/3 of the Time to Get Pregnant Compared to IVF

Two fold pregnancy rates average in 4 months compared to 12 months of IVF (at a fraction of the cost with no horrible side-effects)

This is truth.
This is affordable.
This is life-giving medicine and we need to empower one another.

Another patient comes to mind, whom I treated this week.  She has sought the expertise of family doctors, OBGYN's, Nurse Practitioner's in OBGYN's offices, and even Reproductive Endocrinologists (those are the doctors who treat with IVF).  Eight years of suffering.  Eight years of unknowns.  Eight years of heartache.  Eight years of medical bills. Eight years of miscarriages and a very long time between her ability to get pregnant.  Eight years and her doctors and nurses did not refer her to me.  Eight years.

That's a long time to wait for anything but the possibility of a not having a baby, it's nearly impossible to survive.

In one visit, I diagnosed her problem from a Traditional Chinese Medical Perspective.  In addition to that, I told her several labs that were missing that would confirm my Eastern Medical diagnosis from a Western Medical perspective.  She would have to have the courage to ask her doctor for the lab work to be done.

Eight years of infertility gives a woman a lot of courage.  

Her response was something like this: They have never been able to help me.  You are an expert in infertility and I am here to take your advice.  I will ask. I will take the herbal medicine you prescribed.  I will take all the vitamins you suggest. I will get the acupuncture.  I will ask for the labs to be drawn.  And guess what happened.....

In one visit, after eight years of waiting, I was right; from both an Eastern Medical approach and a Western Medical approach.  It's one of the gifts of having 4 years of medial training in graduate school where an entire year is dedicated to western medical training.

I observed and gave patient care treating patients as equals, as colleagues, together with doctors and nurses at UCSD University of California San Diego, San Diego Hospice, and Pomerado Hospital in Poway, California.  San Diego Fertility Center, La Jolla IVF, Reproductive Partners, Reproductive Sciences Medical Center and Infertility, Gynecology and Obstetrics, to name a few.

How To Marry the Two Sides of Infertility Medicine

I learned a lot from those professional relationships.  Medical information was shared generously.  I was not considered a side-note.  I was an integral and important part of our success.  I witnessed hundreds of patients prescription recommendations, dosages, responses.  It was such a priveledge because I could observe how each reproductive medicine doctor worked, what protocols they preferred and what types of outcomes they got.  I saw so many couples in that 7 years of integrative approach, I could have a new patient tell me what their Reproductive Endocrinologist reccomeneded or their OBGYN recommended and I could tell them what doctor they were seeing.  They each were that predictable.  They each stuck pretty close to identical protocols for each patient irregardless of diagnosis. 

I knew the inside working of fertility centers, not just the end result which often was tens or  hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt with no baby.  But we don't hear that story often, do we? We hear about the miracle IVF baby.  We hear about celebrities who couldn't have children if it weren't for their IVF.

The truth we often don't hear about is people do have medical options.  

 

There is infertility medicine that is:
Safer
Natural
More Effective
Less Invasive
Healthier Babies
Fewer Miscarriages
Faster Success Rates

In fact, it's Twice as Effective as IVF and in a fraction of time (Average is 4 months with correctly prescribed Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine compared to IVF).

Time is money
Time ages us
Time is losing hope
 Time tears apart marriages
Time opens up room for more miscarriages
Time is not on our side when it comes to infertility

If you are looking for studies to back these words you can visit here: www.EagleAcupuncture.com Click "Meet Kristen" you will find links to studies there and also under "Other" then "Resources"

One blood draw was all she needed.  

The treatment is simple and she will have her baby.

People ask me all around the country "How do you do that?"
I have colleagues contact me wanting to know what medical texts I use?   What herbal prescriptions to I recommend?  I have colleagues whom after receiving treatment from me for infertility start referring all of their own infertility patients to me instead of treating them their self.  What protocols do I use?

I don't do protocols

Each person and their spouse are individuals.  If they are to have success, they need individual care. The need differential diagnosis.  This is not something you can memorize.  This is not something you can advise through a book.  This is not a cookie cutter approach to buying on-line because they say it will treat your condition.

Your PCOS is not her PCOS.
His semen analysis is not another man's semen analysis.
Your Endometriosis is not identical to hers.  It's impossible to treat with one herb, one cleanse, one treatment.  Impossible.

One answer to the question of how I do what I do is this:

I Just Know Things

I have always been this way, as long as I can remember.  All the training in the world doesn't give you insight like that.  It's not something I can teach.  It's not something that has a name.  It's a knowing.  It's an insight. It's almost always right.  Call it blessed.  Call it Spirit.  Call it intuition.  Call it being a medium.  Call it being psychic.  Call it luck.  Call it smart.  I don't call it any of those things.  I just know sometimes.

The key to my knowing is I share it. 

 I share this wisdom and insight with my patient.  Sometimes, it's not even about them.  It's about their husband.  If they listen things shift quickly.  If they hesitate, think about it, talk it over, ignore it.  It takes time or never evolves.

Just yesterday a patient came in and she was concerned about her husbands lifestyle and semen analysis.  In our practice we never ignore 50% of your infertility; your partner.  Never.

Unexplained infertility is about 1/3 of all infertility cases and if you think about it, even if you have a diagnosis, you always also have unexplained underneath that too.  Women and men share the burden of the unexplained infertility diagnosis equally yet, almost all men are ignored in all practices we have worked with except ours.

I asked her to bring me a copy of his semen analysis.  On my paperwork she checked that her husband had no abnormal semen analysis, no male factor infertility.

In plain english, on the paperwork, written by his doctor was male factor poor morphology.

That IS male factor infertility.

The problem is western medicine doesn't have good treatment options for male factor other than IVF (in-vitro fertilization).  We do.  We were able to advise her on how to improve his morphology of his sperm.  He also had low volume and we have medical recommendations for that too.

Yet another patient comes to mind as a perfect example of how I just know things.  She had gone through seven failed IVF's by the time she sought my expertise.  She was recommended by her friend, not her doctor.

Seven failed IVF's with multiple miscarriages. Did you even know couples could experience seven failed IVF's?  Did you know on average one IVF is $15,000.00-$20,000.00 per attempt?

After one visit I implored her to have a certain test done before her next IVF embryo transfer in two weeks.
She saw me before her transfer several times and after the transfer and then nothing.  We didn't hear from her.  We didn't get a return phone call.  This was not good.

Months later she returned.

She reviewed with me what had happened and apologized for not contacting us earlier. The devastation was too much to bare.

 The acupuncture worked.  By adding acupuncture to her IVF (studies prove an increased 50-62% increased success rate see the baby maker's business page) she got pregnant with twins.

However, she made one huge mistake that her doctors had made for 8 IVF's in a row. She didn't get the bloodwork done that I asked for.  So, she inevitably miscarried.

I was so sad for her.  A bit exasperated I asked her "Will you please take my advise and get the labwork done now?"
She said "Oh, I did"
I said "And?"
She said "I have it, you were right"

One visit.  It took one visit for me to be present with her, see her, review her history, observe her body, examine her past menstrual cycles, and analyze her failed IVF's to make my assessment that ultimately was the key to her success.

She is more than half way through her pregnancy now.

Be empowered.
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Kristen Burris, L.Ac., M.S.T.O.M., Dip. Ac. was voted Top Doc 2010 in Eagle and Business Person of the Year 2011-2012. Ms Burris won the prestigious National Association of Women Business Owner of the year 2013 and received referrals from doctors throughout the US including Dr. Mehmet Oz. She is the founder and medical director of Eagle Acupuncture a natural fertility center she runs with her husband.  She consults with the most challenging fertility cases all throughout the US. 

Kristen Burris has been featured in USA Today, Woman’s Day, MSNBC, Yahoo News, Parents, Parenting, Natural Health,& Better Nutrition magazines, The San Diego Union Tribune, The Miami Herald, NPR radio, KTVB Boise, KBOI TV and KUSI TV. Ms. Burris taught graduate school at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego, California, one of the most respected colleges in the field of integrative medicine. Throughout her career she has also treated patients at: San Diego Hospice, UC-San Diego Free Clinic, UC-San Diego Dental Acupuncture Study and at the leading fertility centers in California
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