Dr. Alison Hunter operates an integrative medical practice providing comprehensive fertility and wellness programs in San Jose, Santa Cruz, and Pacific Grove, California, as well as offering some modalities in a distance format for patients out of the area. Dr. Hunter is a Licensed Acupuncturist (LAc), a Doctor of Oriental Medicine (OMD), and a certified Fellow of the American Board of Oriental Reproductive Medicine (FABORM), specializing
in the treatment of male and female infertility, endocrine, autoimmune or hormonal disorders, and health and wellness during pregnancy and postpartum. Individualized multimodality treatment plans are based on the integration of Western science and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) diagnostics, designed to complement the care of your Reproductive Endocrinologist, Endocrinologist or Ob/Gyn. Individualized plans
may include the following, depending on your particular needs,
and your health and wellness goals.
For more than a decade, Dr. Hunter has helped hundreds of patients achieve their dreams of parenthood, and find healing and support when dealing with difficult health conditions. Highly effective treatment protocols are offered
in a safe and compassionate environment. Learn step-by-step how diet and nutrition affect your fertility and your health, reduce stress, balance hormones and reproductive status, and restore your sense of hope and happiness along the way. Increase your chance of conceiving and delivering a healthy baby naturally or with assisted reproduction, and overcome challenges to your health. By using the prescribed treatment plan, the following can be treated or improved; please contact us today if there is a health concern you would like more information about.
Fertility centers, medical doctors, chiropractors, massage therapists, psychologists, and yoga, qigong or meditation instructors are a few of the practitioners we routinely work with when appropriate for a particular patient’s needs.
Increase your chances
of conceiving
and delivering
a healthy baby
by following an individualized treatment plan to enhance your fertility. Our preconception care program
is useful for male and female partners, and improves the health of both mother and baby when used for three months prior to conception. Read more
Dramatically increase your chances
of success
with assisted reproduction by using Traditional Chinese Medical modalities in conjunction with
your Western treatment plan. Complementary therapies help to reduce stress, increase blood flow to the reproductive organs and improve response to medications while minimizing their side effects.
Find support throughout each stage of pregnancy and postpartum. Natural treatments
can help prevent and treat many symptoms commonly encountered during pregnancy. Acupuncture has been proven to reduce labor and delivery times, as well as reduce the rate of cesarean delivery.
Traditional Chinese Medicine provides gentle, natural treatment options, enhancing overall health and well-being while providing relief from many endocrine, autoimmune and gynecological issues.
Call to schedule:
831 239-2623
Latest Research Statistics
The February 2008 issue of the British Medical Journal published a meta-analysis of seven acupuncture trials and found that women undergoing IVF were 65% more likely to become pregnant when they combined the procedure with acupuncture.
A May 2006 Fertility and Sterility article reported significantly improved reproductive outcome of infertile women when acupuncture was used on the day of IVF embryo transfer. 39% of women became pregnant, versus 26% of women not using acupuncture. The ongoing pregnancy rate also favored the use of acupuncture (36%, versus 22% in the group not receiving acupuncture.)
The European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology studied the effects of acupuncture treatments twice a week for four weeks prior to IVF. The conclusion was that acupuncture increased blood flow to the uterine arteries and increased overall pregnancy rates.
In April 2002, researchers in Germany reported that women who combined acupuncture with their IVF embryo transfer increased their pregnancy rate by almost 50% over women not receiving acupuncture.
In the 1990s, a European study was conducted on anovulatory women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The results indicated that the use of electro-acupuncture was effective in restoring ovulation in 33% of the test subjects. This study also showed an improvement in many of the endocrine indicators of PCOS, including follicle size, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and mean testosterone levels.
A study published in the July 2005 issue of Fertility and Sterility found that acupuncture helped infertile men by improving sperm quality. Acupuncture was associated with fewer structural defects in the sperm of men who received it.