South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com

Alecia Kanaby, 22, was skeptical when her doctor recommended that she add acupuncture, in conjunction with her other therapies, to help her conceive a child. But she remained open-minded and decided to try it out.

"I definitely believe in it now," said Greenacres resident Kanaby, who tried to conceive for a year before it was discovered she suffered from polycystic ovary syndrome, which prevented her from getting pregnant. "You just feel this calm and relaxation afterwards. I don't find myself getting as uptight or anxious anymore."

Acupuncture is a Chinese medical practice in which fine needles are inserted into specific points around the body to restore the body's natural flow of energy, known as qi (pronounced chi). Kanaby is not seeing an acupuncturist just to feel calm and relaxed though. She starts in vitro fertilization in June and studies have shown that acupuncture can help the IVF process, said Scott Roseff, a reproductive endocrinologist in Wellington. He regularly refers patients to acupuncturist Susan Schiff, who specializes in reproductive wellness and fertility. Schiff, who has practiced acupuncture for more than a decade in Delray Beach, opened up a satellite office in September in Wellington, 4095 U.S. Highway 441. She has specialized in reproductive wellness for the past seven years. For now she is in Wellington two days a week but may add a third day soon.

"There's a big demand out here," she said. "There's nobody here that does what I do."

Roseff has been referring patients to an acupuncturist for nearly 20 years. So when he decided to move his practice to Florida two years ago he needed to find a new acupuncturist. It didn't take long for him to find Schiff.

"[Schiff's] reputation is widespread. When you ask who's excellent in the area, her name comes up all the time," he said. "What I like to do is incorporate Western medicine and Eastern medicine [into my practice]. I take a holistic approach. I'm a strong believer in the mind/body connection." Roseff said there may be several reasons why acupuncture helps. If you believe in the Eastern philosophy of the qi, acupuncture helps balance or unblock its flow.

"When your qi is flowing, there's health," Schiff said. "When your qi stagnates, it gives rise to disease."

Roseff said acupuncture also helps alleviate stress, which may be a factor in hindering a pregnancy. Finally, he said, acupuncture can increase the blood flow to the pelvis area and therefore it may help in making a better environment for a pregnancy to be established and maintained.

Schiff said that when acupuncture is used along with IVF it increases a woman's chances of having a baby by 34 percent.

"If we weren't having success or getting great results [doctors] wouldn't refer patients to us," she said.

Schiff said besides just fertility reasons she also sees patients for chronic pain, allergies, rehabilitation, postpartum and anxiety issues.

Another patient of Schiff's, Christina Zweig of Lake Worth, said she too was skeptical of acupuncture when she was first referred to Schiff. But it didn't take long for to change her mind.

"It wasn't even after a half an hour after my first treatment that I could feel the difference," said Zweig, 39. "It's kind of hard to explain; it just gives you a well feeling about yourself. I feel energized and happy. I recommend anybody to try it. It definitely has changed my life, and my medical life, in the short time that I've been there."

Schiff also recently started www.AcuBaby.com to help individuals find fertility specialists around the country. She started the Web site after helping to connect her patients, who live in Florida part time, with other fertility specialists near their other hometowns. Visit www.gotacupuncture.com or call 561-243-2030 for more information about Schiff's practice.

Jason Parsley can be reached at jeparsley@tribune.com.

[Original article posted at: sun-sentinel.com/community/news/wellington/forum/sfl-flwfacupuncture0521rpfmay21,0,5628200.story]