No matter who walks into my clinic with whatever condition, I ask myself, “What would Dr. Lee say to this person?” It is an honorable challenge to look through the lens of Dr. Lee’s understanding of the endocrine system. He figured out how it is that this delicate system is the first to reflect nutritional deficiencies and why. Dr. Lee also proved how we are miraculously designed to self-correct or heal. And, that this self-or auto-correction is simple, easy to understand and to implement. This is the same principle and philosophy behind Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Yin Yang theory is the core principle in TCM and explains the interdependence of nourishing (Yin) or activating (Yang). We must have both occurring simultaneously to reach and maintain homeostasis.
What does this have to do with present day fertility health challenges? And can we adapt this timeless knowledge to face the extreme challenges women are facing in their reproductive health?
We know that Dr. Lee formulated protomorphogens (PMGs) for the uterus and ovaries because they are the main organs/glands involved with menstruation and gestation. Both the uterus and ovaries have a yin/yang function. Day one of a woman’s cycle is the most yang time for the uterus. She needs a lot of energy to shed the uterine lining. The contractions of the uterus, a very active yang akin to peristalsis in the gut, require the right nutrients to feed this action. Around day 5 when the shedding is done, and a newer, better version of herself is starting to form, is when she becomes more and more yin. The uterus becomes a receptacle or holding place for new blood to build. At ovulation, the uterus is happy in her phase of resting and the ovaries get to wake up and do their job for the rest of the month. Ovulation is when the ovaries are in their most yang state. In an almost peristaltic way, follicles are released, and the hopeful egg can form in the perfect fluid of the follicles, the egg cells carrying more yang into a perfectly formed yin fluid.
So where does protomorphology meet yin-yang philosophy? In many ways, but for this discussion we will say that they meet in the degenerative state. Both the uterus and the ovaries are vulnerable to degenerating into the autoimmune phase such as when the uterus loses its yang ability to completely let go, or lets go too much, i.e. excess bleeding (which is heat and a lack of whole food vitamin C complex). Ultimately, the cause of the problem doesn’t matter that much if the correction has occurred and is understood by the patient on some level. There are many factors leading to the autoimmune or degenerative state including digestive disorders (the spleen/stomach make the blood and nutrients in TCM theory), hormone imbalances, heavy metals and other toxins, viruses, bacteria, structural misalignments, nutrient deficiencies, and emotional afflictions.
Women’s ovaries are more compromised than ever, and we must take that into consideration when looking at hormonal imbalances. The factors of heavy metal toxicity, hormonal birth control, chemicals in food, and now routine vaccinations, have seriously affected sensitive ovarian tissue and function.
Why is the tissue connected to endocrine glands more sensitive to these outside influences than other tissue? Maybe because of their high-level job of secreting precious hormones directly into the bloodstream. The glands are interdependently receptive and, similar to peristalsis action in the intestines, they are consistently pulsing out hormones to maintain homeostasis in a complex system. Are the extreme conditions in couples’ lives and healthcare now causing the delicate hormone balance to become imbalanced?
In his 1921 book, Studies in Deficiency Disease, Dr. Sir Robert McCarrison published his discovery that the endocrine system is the first to succumb and react to nutritional deficiencies. Dr. Lee studied his book extensively which may have contributed to how he developed his understanding of the role of whole food vitamin E complex. Wheat germ oil is the most potent form of the vitamin E complex needed by the sex hormone precursor for reproduction and that’s why it is used to prevent pregnancy loss.
Due to Dr. Lee’s research regarding wheat germ oil, we have known for many decades that it is the anti-sterility vitamin which strengthens pregnancy. Wheat germ oil contains all the tocopherols which is what vitamin E complex is. The word tocopherol comes from the Greek word tocos which means childbearing and phenol which means to bear. Wheat germ oil is the precursor to steroidal hormones, and we know that endocrine gland function becomes weakened when it lacks steroidal hormones.
As an acupuncturist, I like to combine or synthesize the information I am learning in the lineage of Dr. Lee and Mark Anderson with Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). For many years, Dr. Lee met with and exchanged ideas with Doctors of Oriental Medicine which he incorporated into his work. I too have found that blending the two provides the best clinical results as well as the easiest explanations for patients to grasp what is happening to them.
In TCM, the endocrine system is associated with the Zang Fu system or organ-meridian system. The thyroid gland, for example, is governed by the kidney and spleen channels. The ovaries are closely connected to the Chong Mai channel due to its location. The uterus is affected most by the liver and Ren channel whereas the pancreas is linked with the spleen function.
In the case of recurring pregnancy loss or miscarriage, there is always a distinct TCM pattern. Almost every woman I see falls into one of the three categories of either (1) Excess heat, (2) Qi (energy) and blood stasis, and/or (3) Qi (energy) deficiency pattern. Of course, these patterns are interconnected. Oftentimes when you correct one, the others which are less dominant will self-correct. That is the beauty of our inherent ability to heal! Now let’s take a look at each pattern and see what Dr. Lee would say.
The first pattern of excess heat in the body can be from the liver working overtime and the thyroid getting a bit burned out as a result. Think of your car getting stuck in the mud. You keep pressing on the gas to get unstuck and what happens? It overheats! Is this true heat or simply a response to getting stuck? Obviously, it’s a response to getting stuck. These two patterns of heat and stuck go together. Is the thyroid driving the car and getting stuck here? Highly unlikely. Excess heat in the body, which is what can force the blood out of the vessels, is almost always from the liver working overtime, heating everything up including the thyroid gland. I often see that when we can support the liver with the nutrients it needs to function well, and supply the nutrients that the thyroid loves, such as protein bound iodine, there can be a complete self-correction. Of course, “It’s what you do every day that matters most,” is my daily statement in the clinic.
Avoiding heat-creating foods such as garlic, red chilis, coffee, and chocolate helps a lot. Cooling foods such as watermelon, cucumbers, and peppermint teas can make an immediate difference. I also like to include appropriate breathing techniques to match the pattern we are looking to correct. The ancient yogic breathing technique called Shitali Cooling Breath can be transformative in its immediate cooling of the internal organs. Knowing what pattern you are working on is essential to correcting it. Living in air conditioning, which is not how we have evolved as a species, is not the key to cooling down. Think of A/C like drinking ice water. We know from TCM that when you drink ice water, the stomach works harder to normalize the temperature for ideal absorption. What happens when the stomach starts working harder to warm things up a bit? The body creates heat! A/C does a similar thing.
So what can one do to change this pattern of excess heat? Clear it out of the body with lifestyle, dietary, and supplement choices. In many cases, excess heat results from estrogen dominance when the liver is unable to process this vital hormone well. SP Cruciferous Complete and Prolamine Iodine Plus, are excellent choices to correct this pattern, as are the MediHerb products LivCo and LivTon to support the thyroid.
The second pattern of Qi (energy) and blood stasis pattern is not dissimilar to the excess heat pattern, but the predominant symptoms are PMS, menstrual cramps, shortened follicular phase, excess estrogen during the follicular phase, dark circles under the eyes (this is traditionally a deficiency sign, but I always see it with a stasis pattern as well), and irritability. This pattern always comes back to the gall bladder and liver function.
The gall bladder is easily overlooked outside of channel symptomology such as pain or stiffness in the hips which is where this channel runs through. Who doesn’t have tight hips? It was not until I learned from Dr. Lee how essential it is to produce quality and quantity of bile that I was able to connect the dots to why this little organ is in a special category. In TCM, the gall bladder is categorized as one of the extraordinary or spiritual organs, along with the uterus, brain, and bone marrow. I believe it’s because bile can be considered an essential elixir, and therefore the key to good digestion.
So what can one do to correct this pattern of Qi energy and stasis? Support the liver, encourage the gall bladder, activate the entire endocrine system with lifestyle, dietary, and supplement choices. SP AF Betafood or Betafood, Livaplex, and the Female Endocrine Packs are great choices to support the body back to balance.
The third most common pattern connected to miscarriage is a Qi (or energy) deficiency pattern. This pattern is most commonly associated with the kidney/adrenals but also symptomatically with the gut. The symptoms of chronic fatigue, dark circles under the eyes, back pain, knee pain, loose stools, digestive problems, chronic stress, easily startled, and insomnia may be present. When the body does not have enough vitality to support itself, it cannot easily support a new life. The condominium must be well maintained before a new tenant moves in especially when the new tenant is fairly demanding!
So what can one do to change this pattern of Qi energy deficiency? Support the kidneys/adrenals and spark the entire endocrine system with lifestyle, dietary, light therapies, and supplements which can lead to maintaining a healthy pregnancy, often very quickly. SP Cataplex B-Core was formulated precisely to support this kind of deficiency pattern as well as the Female Endocrine Pack and, of course, Wheat Germ Oil Perles.
No matter what you have been diagnosed with, you must look at causation. This causation can be corrected, often very quickly. There are so many wholistic options to support couples struggling with pregnancy loss, it is my hope that this information will reach those who need it most.
Images from iStock/Dima Berlin (main), anamejia18 (acupuncture), fizkes (woman fanning herself), Prostock-Studio (pregnant woman).
