Oct 11, 2007 8:08 pm US/Eastern
Acupuncture: Old Medicine Being Given A New Look
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MIAMI (CBS4) ―
A South Florida woman has an ancient form of medicine to thank for giving her the greatest gift of her life.
Lynn Graubert says she never thought she'd get to do this--be a mom to two kids, Maddie and Ben.
"I was told I had a 2 percent chance of getting pregnant," said Graubert. "I found out I had a fertility problem and I immediately starting doing everything medicine had to offer: drugs, fertility treatment. I went through a really long process to try to get pregnant and it did not work."
So she turned to an alternative approach that is now becoming more mainstream.
"I came across an acupuncturist and we hit it off," said Graubert.
Laurie Bell has been practicing acupuncture on Miami Beach for 14 years.
"Acupuncture is an old medicine that has been around for 3 thousand years," said Graubert. "It's not new age fluff; it's one of the oldest medicine systems in the world. Acupuncture is wonderful for pain. I treat anxiety, depression, insomnia, side effects of radiation and chemo, women's health issues, PMS."
So how does it work?
The Chinese believe that there is energy or "chi" in everything. The "chi" moves along a body in pathways called meridians. When it's flowing properly, the body is healthy. But if a pathway is block, and "chi" is stopped, the body becomes out of balance or gets sick. Acupuncture works to reset and restore the body by stimulating points on the meridians with needles to free up the energy
In her treatments, Bell determines where on the body to put the needles - based on each person's needs. It takes about half an hour. Everyone wants to know - will the needles hurt?
"Sometimes you will feel something but it goes away in a minute," said Bell. "They are so thin, nothing's in them, and they are disposable."
Bell says it's important to point out acupuncture is not a cure-all.
"I view Chinese medicine as complimentary to western medicine. I have always worked with doctors in my career," said Bell.
Graubert agrees. By combining her fertility care with acupuncture, she was able to get pregnant - twice.
"I feel so blessed and so lucky, so amazed that this miracle happened."
Click Here for more on the ancient art of Acupuncture.
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