“The mystery of unexplained infertility is truly no mystery. There is always a cause; discovering the cause is the challenge.” – Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain

The new book, Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain, seeks to demystify health conditions considered “unexplained” or “untreatable.” Authors Belinda and Larry Wurn devote an entire chapter of the book to unexplained infertility. They believe that when no known cause for infertility can be found, adhesions are the likely culprit.

Adhesions are composed of tiny strands of collagen. If the body is injured, collagen rushes to the area to help contain and repair the site. As the strands of collagen continue to build, they form adhesions. While helpful, these adhesions can also attach to neighboring structures, constrict organs and structures, and impair proper function in many ways.

Adhesions in the pelvic cavity

Adhesions can form after a variety of common life events – so common that many women would never consider them as a probable cause for their infertility. Common events include bladder infections, yeast infections, inflammation of any kind, car accidents, falls, surgery, etc. When these events occur in or near the reproductive tract, pelvis, or abdomen, adhesions can constrict the area and prevent proper function. The sensitive structures of the reproductive system can easily become restrained, pulled, or adhered – leading to infertility.

The Wurns and other Clear Passage Therapies (CPT) therapists treat unexplained infertility by addressing adhesions. When a woman attends CPT for treatment of unexplained infertility, the therapists design an individualized treatment plan based on the patient’s medical history and a thorough physical evaluation. During the evaluation, therapists examine the patient’s body for signs of adhesion formation, including areas of pain, tension, immobility, imbalance, and malfunction.

Once the therapists have identified areas of adhesion formation, they use manual physical therapy techniques (collectively known as the Wurn Technique ®) to detach, deform, and disfigure these adhesions. The Wurn Technique ® enables proper mobility and function to be restored, thus decreasing pain, increasing function, and improving fertility.

In Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain, over nine women with unexplained infertility share their journeys through infertility and how they eventually became pregnant with manual physical therapy. To learn more about manual physical therapy and fertility, please visit our female infertility or unexplained infertility pages.

Blog Post By: Jackie

By Jackie

Small bowel obstructions are no matter to take lightly. In addition to causing devastating pain, an obstruction can prevent waste from leaving the body and nutrients from being absorbed by the body.

If a patient suspects s/he has a bowel obstruction, s/he needs medical attention immediately. A visit to do the doctor is vital because s/he can ascertain if the bowel is actually blocked (obstruction) or isn’t functioning properly. If the doctor suspects an obstruction, s/he will normally monitor the patient over a period of time to see if the obstruction goes away on its own.

Why be so cautious before moving forward with treatment? Because doctors know that surgery is a serious matter – especially surgery to the delicate tissue of the intestines. Patients who undergo surgery for obstructions risk developing more obstructions as a direct result of the scarring (adhesions) produced by the surgery to remove an obstruction.

If your doctor currently suspects you have a bowel obstruction, it is important you know that the number one cause of obstructions is adhesions. Adhesions are what form scar tissue. They form after the body heals from any sort of trauma – such as an infection, inflammation, surgery, car accident, etc. Although they help an injury heal, adhesions can also bind nearby structures. If they form in the intestines, they can cinch the small bowel closed or pull on the intestine. The constant pull can create inflammation and thus more adhesions.

How can you know if adhesions are the likely culprit for your obstruction?

• First, you need to visit the doctor to rule-out serious conditions such as Crohn’s disease.
• Second, examine your medical history. Have you had any recent illnesses that cause inflammation or infection? Were any of them in your abdomen or pelvis? For example, diverticulitis causes infection and inflammation in protrusions from the colon. Even if the doctor has treated this condition, you may still have adhesions in your body that developed because of the infection and inflammation. Other infections or inflammation to keep in mind are hernias, gallstones, Crohn’s disease, etc. Another important question to ask yourself: Have you been in a car accident? Although the only physical effects you may have felt were whiplash, the internal organs often absorb the shock of such sudden trauma. This could have caused internal damage, which then caused adhesions to form in the healing process. Examine your life for any serious injuries, falls, accidents, or surgeries.

• Third, have your symptoms subsided? Obstructions caused by adhesions generally do not subside because the body has no natural way of dissolving the collagen that forms adhesions.

If you or your doctor suspect adhesions are the cause of your obstruction, our trained therapists can help. Through hundreds of manual physical therapy techniques, our therapists can identify areas of restriction and adhesion formation, then work to loosen the area. Gradually, over a 20 hour program, the adhesions are detached and deformed, allowing the bowels to function properly. Most patients who come to Clear Passage Therapies for bowel obstructions choose to complete therapy in an intensive week of treatment due to extreme health risk of a bowel obstruction. Clear Passage Therapies can resolve adhesions that create an obstruction, but if the bowel is completely obstructed, it is a life-threatening condition that requires emergency surgery.

To learn more about our treatment for bowel obstruction, please visit our bowel obstruction page.

By Jackie

A small bowel obstruction can be a life-threatening condition. As the bowel slowly cinches closed, the helpless victim may find herself unable to eat or have a bowel movement. If these serious symptoms continue, doctors have no choice but to perform surgery. While surgery can successful remove the blockage, a large percentage of patients will experience a subsequent obstruction.

Why? Let’s look at what causes a mechanical obstruction. In the majority of patients, the obstruction started after inflammation, infection, trauma, or surgery near the intestines. Whenever an injury occurs in the body, collagen rushes to the site to repair the damage and contain the area. As these sticky strands of collagen continue to build layer upon layer, they form adhesions. Adhesions are extremely beneficial – they help a wound seal and perform many other vital functions. But because of their “sticky” nature, they can also attach to nearby structures or cause restriction within a structure or organ.

For example, if an infection occurs within the intestinal tube, collagen will rush to the site. As it forms adhesions to repair the area, these adhesions may attach to both sides of the tube, causing it to cinch together. If adhesions form on the outside, it may cause one part of the intestine to be pulled and attached to another part. Over time, this constant pulling can create more irritation, inflammation, and subsequent adhesion formation – thus worsening the problem.

The only existing method to remove adhesions in conventional medicine is surgery. Unfortunately, surgery itself is a cause of adhesion formation. After the surgeon has made her incisions, removed the adhesions, and sealed the wound, collagen rushes to the area to help it heal. Thus, the awful cycle of adhesion formation starts again, possibly creating another bowel obstruction.

When a patient returns to the hospital with another bowel obstruction, doctors can only offer another surgery. As far as the patient knows, there is no other treatment and s/he must submit to surgery if they want to be able to eat solid food, have a bowel movement, or be free from pain. But another surgery only perpetuates the cycle, leaving the poor victim with cyclical surgery for life.

Clear Passage Therapies (CPT) has successfully treated numerous patients with small bowel obstructions and we say it is time to put an end to cyclical surgery. When a patient begins to experience the tell-tale signs of another bowel obstruction, we can help! Our therapists have been using manual techniques to break-apart adhesions within the body for over 20 years. Using solely their hands, our therapists can locate areas of tension, restriction, and adhesion formation and slowly deform and detach adhesions.

One former patient, Ginny, came to us after eight surgeries. She explains, “I had already undergone a resection surgery to remove bowel obstructions (essentially adhesions) by cutting, then rejoining my intestines. I soon found myself in a vicious cycle of pain and hospitalizations. I needed surgery to reduce the adhesions and my pain, but the surgeries would cause more adhesions to form, necessitating more surgeries.” She began attending treatment at CPT two hours a week. She reported, “I can still remember the first day I was finally able to have a bowel movement without pain or laxatives, or to be able to eat without pain. It was amazing.”

Ginny’s full story will be featured in our upcoming book, Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain. Our book showcases the stories of over 80 patients, including five women with bowel obstructions. If you would like to read a sneak-peak of two stories, please see Resolving a Bowel Obstruction and You Have a Right to Refuse Any Drug or Surgery. To learn more about our treatment to reduce adhesions and resolve bowel obstructions, please visit our bowel obstruction page.

By Jackie

Adhesions can be extremely difficult for a doctor to diagnose because adhesions are frequently microscopic and within organs and tissues – meaning they do not show-up on diagnostic tests. Doctors commonly need to directly visualize adhesions during surgery to make a definitive diagnosis. However, surgery itself can cause more adhesions to form.

Is there a way to recognize adhesions without going through risky procedures? Based on 20 years of clinical experience, CPT physical therapists say yes. Through years of training, CPT therapists can recognize adhesions by feeling and examining a patient’s body. They know what proper organ and tissue structure and mobility feel like and can quickly ascertain if adhesions are present. CPT therapists can also examine a patient’s posture to see if any imbalances or chronic poor posture patterns exist that commonly signal adhesion formation. Once adhesive patterns are found, CPT therapists work slowly and meticulously to break-apart the adhesions.

How can you recognize adhesions if you do not have the opportunity to be examined by a CPT therapist? Below are some clues that adhesions have formed in your body:

• Pain. If you experience any chronic or recurring pain, it is a sign that adhesions have formed. This includes back pain after a car accident or severe menstrual cramps.
• Dysfunction. If your body isn’t functioning as it once did, it is a sign that adhesions may have formed. Are you currently experiencing female infertility? Do you regularly experience incontinence? Or maybe you suddenly have more digestive problems, such as constipation or diarrhea? Many of these dysfunctions are commonly attributed to “aging,” but are actually due to adhesions.
• Tension. Areas of tension or tightness in your body signal that adhesions have formed. Adhesions can anchor previously mobile tissues and structures, creating an uncomfortable pulling sensation.
• Imbalance. Try looking at your shoulders in the mirror. Is one shoulder higher than the other? Or how about your hips? When you lie down, does one foot extend farther than the other? Imbalances in the body can be signs that adhesions have formed and are pulling on one part of the body.
• Previous Adhesion-Forming Events. The following common events frequently lead to adhesion formation:

• Chronic Poor Postures (sitting at a computer with a hunched back)
• Infection (Yeast, bladder, etc.)
• Inflammation (Endometriosis, PID, etc.)
• Radiation Therapy
• Surgery
• Trauma (Abuse, car accident, etc.)

If you suspect you have adhesions and would like to learn more about our treatment, please visit our adhesions page.

By Jackie

Each month, an egg grows in a tiny fluid-filled sac that bursts open during ovulation to release an egg. Sometimes, the sac doesn’t break open and continues to fill with fluid, forming a functional cyst (the most common type of cyst). A functional cyst generally goes away after one to three months, but if it doesn’t, a doctor made need to surgically remove the cyst. A doctor may also choose to operate if the cyst is painful, large, continues to grow, or is present with several other cysts.

Cysts can be removed through laparoscopic surgery or through laparotomy (open surgery), both of which can preserve a woman’s fertility. However, adhesions can form as a direct result of surgery. Adhesions are tiny strands of collagen that form after any injury to the body. Collagen rushes to the site to contain the area and help it heal. As the collagen builds, it forms an adhesion that remains throughout life. Adhesions that form near the ovaries or fallopian tubes can constrict these structures, causing multiple complications and infertility (please see adhesions and infertility). Thus, the surgery to remove ovarian cysts can cause a woman to experience infertility.

However, women who elect to not undergo surgery or whose cysts go away, may still experience infertility due to adhesions that formed as a response to the inflammation caused by the ovarian cyst.

At CPT, we specialize in reducing and breaking-apart adhesions with manual physical therapy techniques. We have been able to help numerous women become pregnant after years of infertility, previous surgeries, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, and other conditions.

One such patient was Jacqueline, who came to us for treatment after two surgeries to remove ovarian cysts. During her first surgery at age 22, her doctor removed 10% of one ovary and 60% of the other due to complex cysts. When Jacqueline and her husband later tried to conceive, they were dismayed to find they couldn’t become pregnant.

One year later, Jacqueline began experiencing severe pain in her abdomen. She went to the hospital and was rushed to emergency surgery to remove a peritoneal cyst. After the surgery, her surgeon told her, “We were able to remove the cyst, but your ovaries and fallopian tubes were buried by adhesions.”

After this startling diagnosis, Jacqueline searched for alternative treatments and found our clinic. We began treating her with our 20 hour treatment protocol, but she had to leave before treatment was finished due to a family emergency.

Before she returned to our clinic, she completed a few tests with her doctor. She had an ultrasound and learned that she no longer had any visible adhesions since our treatment. Her second test, an HSG, showed that her tubes were blocked with liquid (hydrosalpinx).

When Jacqueline returned for treatment, our therapists focused on her fallopian tubes. Afterward, Jacqueline finally became naturally pregnant and later gave birth to a full-term baby.

To learn more about our treatment for adhesions and infertility, please visit our female infertility page.

By Kandy

Sexual intimacy and intercourse should provide some of life’s greatest pleasures. But because the female urogenital and reproductive organs are very susceptible to adhesions, intercourse can become painful, dissatisfying, and embarrassing. Many women still believe the old misconception that “there isn’t anything that can be done,” or “it’s just the way it is,” or “my mother didn’t enjoy sexual intimacy and neither did hers, therefore I won’t be able to either.”

If you are not satisfied with sexual intercourse, you are not alone. Did you know that approximately 50% of all US women and 43% of women aged 18-59 experience female sexual dysfunction (FSD) according to data from Urology and the Journal of the American Medical Association? In 2000. the Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy classified female sexual dysfunction into six measurable domains: desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain. Intercourse pain affects between 46% and 60% of all US women, according to reports in American Family Physician (2001) and Obstetrics & Gynecology (1996). Have you ever been informed that female sexual dysfunction can occur during any stage of intercourse?

Although sexual dysfunction and intercourse pain are prevalent among women, these conditions should not be considered “normal” or “untreatable.” An informative article found in Science Daily (November 16, 2006) discusses a recent study about a possible cause of sexual dysfunction in women. The study, completed by researchers of the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine and The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, found that many female competitive bicyclists experienced decreased genital sensation. The researches found that external genital nerves and arteries were negatively affected by being directly compressed in women who consistently cycled an average of at least 10 miles a week, four weeks per month.

Other known causes of sexual dysfunction and intercourse pain include bladder infections, yeast infection, inflammatory disorders, sexually transmitted diseases, pelvic surgeries, physical or sexual abuse, etc.  All of these conditions can cause adhesions to form within in the reproductive tract. Adhesions can restrict and blanket the delicate structures of the reproductive system, causing decreased sensation (such as in the bicyclists) or painful intercourse.

So what can a woman do once she experiences sexual dysfunction or painful intercourse? First, she should speak with her doctor to make sure there is not a greater problem at hand, such as endometriosis or a sexually transmitted disease. If the doctor cannot find a probable cause, it is likely that adhesions are at fault.

A study published in the peer-reviewed journal Medscape General Medicine (2004) examined a sexual dysfunction treatment that directly targets adhesions within the reproductive tract. The study showed that 78% of women had increased desire (libido), 74% had increased arousal, 70% had increased lubrication, and 56% experienced increased orgasms after receiving treatment developed at Clear Passage Therapies®. For more information on this treatment, please visit our sexual dysfunction or painful intercourse page.

By Jackie

Adhesions occur in response to injury, such as surgery, trauma, inflammation, or infection. When the injury occurs, collagen rushes to the area to contain the site. This “sticky” collagen can continue to thicken and form an adhesion. Because of its sticky nature, an adhesion can bind previously free and mobile structures together.

Adhesions can impair fertility in women in multiple ways. Adhesions located in the following areas have particularly detrimental affects:

• On internal and external uterine walls: These adhesions can cause irritation and inflammation in the uterus, leading to implantation problems or recurrent miscarriage. These adhesions are likely to form in woman who has had an IUD, D&C, abortion, or uterine surgery.
• In or around the fallopian tubes: These adhesions can constrict the fallopian tube, causing a blockage, hydrosalpinx, or ectopic pregnancy to occur. Women who have had fibroid surgery, pelvic inflammatory disease, or any sexually transmitted disease are particularly at risk
• On the surface of the ovaries: These adhesions can cover the ovary, preventing the release of an ovum or proper hormonal function. Women who have PCOS or have had a cyst removal have an increased risk
• Near the fimbrea: When adhesions form near the finger-like projections of the fallopian tube, they can prevent the fimbrea from grasping an egg. Women who have had chronic inflammation are at an increased risk.
• On or within the issues of the cervix: These adhesions can cause the cervix to constrict, preventing the passage of sperm. They can also cause uterine spasm. Women who experience deep intercourse pain frequently have adhesions in this area.
• On the pituitary: Located within in the cranium, the pituitary can be restricted by adhesions that pull on the cranial bones and dura of the spine. When this happens, the pituitary’s function is decreased, resulting in hormonal dysfunction. Women with chronic headaches are likely to have adhesions around the cranium.

Adhesions are particularly difficult for doctors to diagnose because they are often too small to be seen by diagnostic tests. Only through surgery can a surgeon visualize adhesions, and even then, he or she cannot see adhesions within organs.

Furthermore, women may not experience one of the tell-tale signs of adhesions formation – pain. Thus, even though a woman has had a yeast or bladder infection, an IUD, a motor vehicle accident, or childhood fall, she may never realize that adhesions formed and are negatively impacting her fertility.

At CPT, our therapists palpate the entire body to find adhered and restricted mobility. Through treating the entire body, they restore proper function and enable women to finally become pregnant. To read more about our treatment for infertility, please visit our adhesions and infertility page.

By Jackie

When trying to make treatment choices for blocked fallopian tubes, it is crucial to understand the type of blockage. The success of treatment options vary greatly depending on the location of the blockage. Fallopian tubes can be blocked in three places:

• Proximal: Near the uterus
• Medial: In the middle of the tube
• Distal: At the end of the tube, near the fimbrea

Fallopian tubes that are blocked proximally have the highest success rate for opening with conventional treatment. Doctors generally recommend a procedure in which a catheter is inserted through the uterus into the fallopian tube. Once there, a balloon can be used to try and open the tube. The success rate for proximally blocked fallopian tubes is high, granting women a window of time to become pregnant.

If the blockage is located medially, it is harder for the doctor to access. Doctors generally recommend laparoscopic surgery, in which adhesions are cauterized and the tube is cut and then rejoined. Because it is a much more complicated procedure and scar tissue can easily grow and block the tube, success rates are lower for medially blocked fallopian tubes.

Fallopian tubes that are blocked distally are the hardest to treat. Because the blockage is located near the delicate fimbrea, a surgeon may not be able to remove adhesions without damaging the fimbrea. Furthermore, the area is harder to access and if adhesions re-grow, they can cover the ovary. Doctors generally do not recommend surgery for this type of blockage because of the success rates and instead offer IVF.

To read more about the causes of blocked fallopian tubes and alternative treatment options, please visit our website.

By Jackie

Women who experience secondary infertility are often baffled by their diagnosis. “I was able to easily conceive before,” many women tell us. “Why am I now having trouble?”

When our therapists examine women with secondary infertility, they look for ten key changes:

1. C-Section – Did the patient have a c-section? Adhesions and scar tissue after a c-section can cause blocked fallopian tubes or prevent proper implantation
2. Episiotomy – Did the patient have an episiotomy? An episiotomy scar can cause adhesions that extend into the vagina and cervix, causing the cervix to become stiffened and prevent the passage of sperm
3. Hormonal Changes – Has the patient had her hormone levels checked since giving birth? Has the patient’s period changed in heaviness or number of days? Pregnancy and aging can cause hormones to change, which may be causing infertility
4. Surgeries – Did the patient undergo any surgeries since pregnancy? Surgeries can cause adhesions to form and impair fertility
5. Trauma – Has the patient experienced any car accidents, falls, abuse, or similar traumatic events? These events can cause long-lasting injuries, pelvic imbalances, adhesion formation, and other factors that can negatively impact fertility
6. Infection – Has the patient had any bladder, vaginal, or yeast infections since pregnancy? Infections can cause adhesions to form in the delicate structures of the female pelvis. These adhesions can impair female fertility in multiple ways
7. Inflammation – Has the patient been diagnosed with any new inflammatory conditions, such as endometriosis or PID? Inflammation directly causes adhesion formation, which can lead to infertility
8. Pelvic or Back Pain – Has the patient experienced any hip, back, or pelvic pain since pregnancy? Pain is a sign that something is wrong. Pain in the pelvis may be linked to infertility, such as a hip injury that is located near the fallopian tubes.
9. Sexual Dysfunction or Intercourse Pain – Has the patient experienced any sexual dysfunction or intercourse pain since pregnancy? Any problems in decreased desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, or satisfaction is a sign that adhesions have formed in the delicate structures of the reproductive tract, possibly causing infertility
10. Ovulation or Menstrual Pain – Has the patient experienced any new ovulation or menstrual pain since pregnancy? Ovulation pain is a sign that adhesions may be restricting and impairing the proper function of the ovary. New menstrual pain is a sign that adhesions may have formed around the uterus, preventing proper implantation.

For more information about treating secondary infertility, please visit our adhesions and infertility page.

By Jackie

Chlamydia, often know as the “silent” STD, can cause extensive scarring and adhesions within the female reproductive tract. Because Chlamydia produces relatively few noticeable symptoms, women are often unaware they have it until they struggle with infertility and undergo extensive diagnostic testing. Although doctors can cure Chlamydia with pharmaceuticals, the adhesions and scar tissue caused by the disease will remain in the body.

The only option conventional medicine can offer women with adhesions is laparoscopic surgery. However, surgery to open blocked fallopian tubes is not always successful. Furthermore, laparoscopic surgery itself can cause more adhesions and scar tissue to form.

Nicole, one of our former patients, struggled with just this problem. When Nicole and her husband couldn’t become pregnant after three years, they sought the help of a reproductive endocrinologist (RE). Her RE performed a series of tests. Nicole told us, “That when I found out I had an undetected STD, Chlamydia. It had caused scar tissue to form around and block my fallopian tubes.”

Her specialist recommended surgery to open the tubes or IVF. Nicole sought a second opinion with another RE who suspected she had fibroids in her uterus in addition to blocked tubes. He suggested she undergo a myomectomy to remove the fibroids and he would also try to open her blocked fallopian tubes at the same time. He successfully removed the fibroids, but he couldn’t open her tubes.

Nicole then tried three IVFs, all of which were unsuccessful or ended in miscarriage. Afterward, she heard about our clinic on an infertility chat site and decided to attend. After treatment, her HSG test showed her fallopian tubes were clear!

However, Nicole’s doctor encouraged her to undergo IVF. Nicole, concerned about her biological clock, she chose to undergo the procedure and told us, “At nine weeks, I discovered I had twins, but one passed away early in the pregnancy.” Nicole later gave birth to her baby girl, Joy.

Everyone was later surprised when Nicole became unexpectedly pregnant after the birth of Joy. Nicole exclaimed, “We didn’t try anything and we got pregnant!” Nicole’s tubes had indeed opened and she later gave birth to a little boy.

If you would like to read more about treatment for blocked fallopian tubes, please visit our blocked tubes page. Nicole’s story, along with the stories of 75 former patients, will be showcased in our upcoming book, Miracle Moms, Better Sex, Less Pain.