Can you have TCM acupuncture and five elements acupuncture for fertility at the same time?

A:  There is no reason why someone should not have both styles of treatment at the same time. Many practitioners would argue, in fact, that many of the treatments used in fertility treatment can become a little formulaic, and would aim to supplement them or adapt them for purpose. This is an argument often deployed within the TCM fraternity with treatments like the Paulus Protocol used at the time of embryo transfer in IVF. While it is suitable as it is for the greater majority of people, there are some for whom further refinement would make it far more effective.

As far as Five Element and TCM are concerned, these can often be dovetailed to great effect, and indeed, one of the major teaching institutions, the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine, was founded on the basis of integrating these styles for the benefit of the patient. The received wisdom is that it can be compared to treating different levels within the body, and many 5-E practitioners see the use of the more generic treatments as a great way of supporting the patient as a whole while the more targeted work is done and of anchoring the results gained by using TCM. 

 The reality is that it is all one system of medicine in which styles have been identified which draw on common roots. Hence there are people who integrate 5-E, TCM, Japanese Meridian Therapy, Stems and Branches and many other variations, and all to great effect. 

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