The Infertility Cure

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY JAN 5, 2004

Lewis, a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist, believes infertile couples should turn to Chinese medicine as an alternative to what she considers painful, invasive and time-consuming Western treatments. She first explains, "Traditional Chinese medicine holds that a woman's body must be gently nourished and encouraged to bear fruit.... I have found that most hormonal imbalances (which contribute to 40 percent of documented cases of infertility, yet are considered untreatable by conventional Western medicine) respond to Eastern methods of treatment." In Lewis's experience, women who have undergone three to six months of the dietary changes, herbs and acupuncture treatments become pregnant with no further effort. Lewis intersperses her somewhat technical examination of the program with anecdotes about her patients, weaving in discussions on diet, herbal supplements, acupuncture, older women and problems related to infertility. Lewis writes well and simplifies many complex concepts, such as the theory that there are four vital substances in the body (Yin, Yang, Qi and Blood), and that they're likely to be suffering from imbalance caused by energy excess, deficiency or stagnation. However, she trusts that her view is the solution for all infertile couples. Readers with infertility issues may well benefit by adopting some of Lewis's strategies, but they would also be wise to discuss her approach with their doctors before abandoning their current treatments. 41 line drawings.