Karen Reynolds Acupuncture

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Antinuclear Antibodies & Your Fertility~Take Action

July 29, 2017 By Karen Reynolds

  • Welcome back to my Autoimmune Fertility series!

Antinuclear Antibodies & Your Fertility~Take Action

High levels of Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) in your bloodstream are a sign of an autoimmune process and many autoimmune diseases affect fertility. Normally, your immune system focuses upon getting rid of foreign invaders like bacteria or viruses. However, with autoimmune issues, your body attacks itself.

Antinuclear antibodies & your fertility–>Here are ways to take action

One thing you can do is acupuncture. Research repeatedly reflects that acupuncture promotes balance in the immune system. Here is how it works. Your immune system contains cells called lymphocytes. There exist specialized types of lymphocytes called “Th1 helper cells” and “Th2 helper cells.” A balance of Th1 and Th2 cells is most ideal. With autoimmune diseases, Th1 and Th2 cells can become unbalanced in numbers or immune system activities. Physical problems arise if Th1 immune cells overpower the Th2 immune cells or vice versa.

Th1 & Th2 cells are naturally regulated by

Antinuclear antibodies impact fertility

ANA’s impact fertility but there are steps you can take to improve it

acupuncture in the direction

your body needs to go. 

Research shows that whether you 

need more or less of either,

acupuncture can influence

better balance the

Th1 & Th2 scales.1, 2, 3, 4.

 

Below are medical diagnoses associated with fertility challenges and either too many Th 1 helpers or too many Th 2 helpers.

Diseases affecting fertility with too many Th 1 helper cells (aka “Th 1 dominance”)

 

Celiac disease

 

Multiple sclerosis

 

Graves’ disease

 

Psoriasis

 

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

 

Rheumatoid arthritis

 

Inflammatory bowel disease/Crohn’s disease

 

Sjoren’s syndrome

 

Lichen planus

 

Type I diabetes (previously known as juvenile onset diabetes)

 

 

Diseases affecting fertility with too many Th 2 helper cells (aka “Th 2 dominance”)

 

Systemic lupus erythematosus Ulcerative colitis

​

​•Take action with Antinuclear antibodies and your fertility a second way. Begin a grain free/gluten free diet and make use of specific Th 1 or Th 2 support supplements. Below are lists of Th 1 and Th 2 supportive foods, supplements or herbs.

Support for Th 1 helper cells

  • Astragalus
  • Echinacea
  • Glycyrrhiza (Licorice)
  • Lemon Balm
  • Panax Ginseng
  • Chlorella
  • Grape Seed Extract
  • Maitake, Reishi, and Shitake Mushroom Extracts

 

Support for Th 2 helper cells

  • Green Tea Extract
  • Pine Bark Extract
  • White Willow Bark
  • Lycopene (found in tomatoes)
  • Resveratrol (found in grape skin and cocoa)
  • Pycnogenol
  • Curcumin (found in turmeric)
  • Quercitin (found in onions, berries and kale)

 

The next blog post of my Autoimmune Fertility Series has a focus on the Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene and fertility. Stay tuned!

 

  • Please leave any questions you may have here and I am happy to answer them.
  • If you found this article helpful, I would appreciate liking my Facebook page at:

                         Karen Reynolds, LAc, RN Acupuncture for Optimal Health 

  • All content here is written personally by me in with the goal that it is be helpful to you. As long as you include the link for this blog entry to credit me as the author, it is fine to repost or share if you wish.

For scheduling information and appointment availability, do please visit my website at: KReynoldsAcupuncture.com.

Be well!

~Karen Reynolds, RN, MS, LAc

1 McDonald, J.L., Cripps, A.W., Smith, P.K. (2015). Mediators, Receptors, and SignalingPathways in the Anti-Inflammatory and Antihyperalgesic Effects of Acupuncture. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2015, Article ID 975632, 10 pages.
2Xiao, Q.S., Ma, M.Y., Zhang, X.S., Deng, M.H., Yang Yan, Z. (2015). Effect of Acupuncture on Prognosis and Immune Function of Sepsis Patients. Zhongguo Zhong Xi Yi Jie He Za Zhi,Jul; 35(7): 783-786.
3Kim, S K, Bae, H. (2010). Acupuncture and immune modulation. Autonomic Neuroscience: Basic and Clinical, 2010-10-28, Volume 157, Issue 1, Pages 38-41.
4 Ding, S.S., Hong, S.H., Wang, C., Guo, Y., Wang, Z.K., Xu, Y. (2013). Acupuncture modulates the neuru-endocrine-immune network. Quarterly Journal of Medicine, 107, 341-345. doi: 10.1093/qjmed/hct196

Statements have not been evaluated by the food and drug administration. All information on this site is provided as education and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. No information on this site is intended to replace or delay the use of any conventional medical treatment.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Women's Health Tagged With: acupuncture balances Th1 and Th2 cells, acupuncture effective for balancing the immune system, antinuclear antibodies and acupuncture

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Karen Reynolds Acupuncture offers acupuncture sessions, that help with women's health and fertility, healing after surgery and performance in sports.
KRA also offers Microneedling for wrinkles, anti-aging, acne, scarring and hair loss.

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