Beth Pesa Villante NCMT
Jefferson-Myrna Brind Center of Integrated Medicine

There is no other time in which massage can have as important an application than during pregnancy. A woman's body goes through so many changes physically as well as mentally and emotionally and massage can be of great benefit to help ease some of the symptoms associated with these changes. Massage can be helpful in each stage of pregnancy from preconception through labor and delivery.

Stress and pregnancy are almost synonymous. Both "good" and "bad" stress produces a stress response in the body. Massage is one of the greatest tools in helping to manage and cope with stress and it's subsequent symptoms. Massage helps relieve muscle tension and the corresponding mental tension.

Claudia Harsh, M.D., OB/GYN, Physician Acupuncturist
Director of Integrative Gynecology, Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine

When our lives open up to start a family, it can be frustrating to watch the time tick by… It is estimated that as many as 15% of all couples are infertile. Unfortunately, with all the tests and information available today, the cause is still often not known. My colleagues and I have had great success with acupuncture. A study reported in 2002 by the medical journal Fertility and Sterility showed that the use of acupuncture increases the chance of pregnancy for women undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF).