Prior to seeing Angie, I had one miscarriage and then was told that the likelihood that I would get pregnant again was extremely low. I tried in vitro fertilization because, at the time, my doctor told me I had a 25% chance of success. After the IVF cycle failed, I was told that my chance of success with IVF in the future was only 10%. When I had my consultation with Angie, she told me it would be about 3-6 months before I got pregnant. I wasn’t sure if acupuncture would work; in fact, I had started to believe that I would never be pregnant happen. Despite this feeling, I thought I should give it a chance. If it didn’t work, at least I could say I had tried everything. Angie was positive and helpful. She always took the time to check in with me about my life and see how she could help me in anyway. She gave me advice for my diet and helped me to improve my sleep and stress levels, not just my fertility. One thing I really loved about her was that she was always looking for new techniques. She went to conferences, connected with other professionals, and was constantly on the quest for even more opportunities to help her clients. She definitely wasn’t going through the motions. She was invested in her clients every step of the way. In five months, I was pregnant. When I told Angie, she was genuinely excited. I could tell how much every pregnancy meant to her. She was available to answer questions any time which was a relief to me because, given my history, I wanted to make sure everything was going well. Even when my doctor wasn’t available, Angie was there for me. I am now 27 weeks pregnant and our baby is strong and healthy. My husband and I are so glad for Angie’s help. She has given us the closest thing to a miracle we have ever known.
Teresa K
Nicole’s in-depth knowledge, methods and genuine interest in restoring balance to your health have made her an invaluable member of our family’s health care team. She has treated my whole family from prental to infant, child and follow-up care. I believe the two induction treatments I received brought on my son’s labour with no interventions. She has treated my son from the time he was 3 months old and he loves coming to visit Nicole. We have worked together to treat my kid’s eczema and strengthen their immune systems. After several initial treatments they now come in for periodic “tune ups” and as a mom it is amazing to hear how strong and well they are. If you are looking for someone to partner with you for a healthful outcome I highly recommend Nicole.
R.B
My husband and I have been on the fertility journey for 5 years now and have been diagnosed with ‘unexplained infertility’. The first 4 years were spent trying naturally, followed by IUIs, IVFs, the last of which resulted in a pregnancy and a miscarriage at 7 weeks. During this time, I had also tried to get some help from other acupuncturists in Calgary who specialised in fertility. I never really felt comfortable with their approach because I didn’t understand what was being done to treat me and why. It always felt like “Black magic” to me.
About 10 months ago, a friend had mentioned that she was treated by Dr. Angela Fingler and had her first child naturally with Angela’s help. Just having barely recovered from the depression of a recent miscarriage, I was ambivalent about going to yet another acupuncturist. The first time I met Angela, she listened to my story for almost an hour and a half. She asked a lot of questions and made me recount facts that I didn’t know were relevant. It was wonderful to finally have someone listen to the whole story before proposing a solution! At the end of the session, we came up with a treatment plan together which included a combination of diet, exercise, meditation and acupuncture.
I have a history of chocolate cysts in my ovaries and extremely painful periods. I tracked my temperature and my symptoms diligently (finally, I didn’t feel like acupuncture was all Black magic). Angela helped me with my painful periods, my cysts disappeared and overall I feel more energetic and positive. She is super smart and listens patiently to everything I have to say. It’s so nice to talk to someone who empathises and understands everything you’re going through mentally and physically. My husband and I are still on our journey but honestly we wouldn’t have the energy or positive attitude to continue without Angela’s help.
Michelle D’Souza
I am not exaggerating… this practice literally saved me. I love this place! I started going once a week for about 5 weeks and now once every 2-3 weeks. Skye is simply amazing! I came in pretty much out of options, in a ton of pain and just hoping for even a little bit of relief. I was not expecting to see such amazing results, I’m blown away. I used to suffer from Osteoarthritis pain in allot of my joints on a daily basis, but by the first session I was dramatically better for days. I didn’t realize just how bad I was until I started feeling normal.
I had terrible hand pain in both my CMC Joints (thumb joints) and was currently out of options. I had been going for constant cortisone injections in both hands for 2.5 years every 2 months. My hands were starting to deteriorate quickly. I had seen a surgeon who had told me I was far too young for surgery and most people with this health problem were in there 70’s or 80’s, I am in my 40’s. He suggested I go for acupuncture and think about if I truly wanted to have the surgery as I would have no strength available in my thumbs at all if I chose this route.
What did this mean? I would no longer be able to do a lot of basic things without help like open jars or hold a glass and I would have to learn to work around basic tasks as my thumbs would be connected to my hand, however they would just be there to look at and could not help me in my daily tasks.
My daughter gave me Skye’s information through a patient she had been treating with MS, who said she has been helping her tremendously. Of course I was a bit skeptical at first, however I phoned and made a consultation with Skye. What harm could it do I said to myself. This was needed to control pain and allow me to continue to work and hold a glass. Skye went through an extensive history, diet, exercise and pain levels with me.
I have now been controlling the pain through acupuncture for quite some time. I am able to work and even open jars with no help as a result. The treatments helped with a number of other things as well and I have been able to eliminate some medications.
Skye is highly experienced and a fantastic and gifted healer. I fully recommend this practice and I am so grateful I gave this practice a try. You will be, too
Karen L.
Fourteen months after seeing Angela, I am a proud mom our first child, a healthy baby boy, at 38! Prior to seeing her for TCM treatment, I experienced two miscarriages. While waiting to get into the miscarriage clinic ( a 6 month wait), I began seeing Angela for treatment right away. Shortly after, I began to see changes in my body which helped me believe in the process – an important step in what can easily become a crazy mentally challenging journey. My period flow became “textbook” within two months, my BBT became very regular and predictable within three months, among many other changes to help prepare me to get pregnant. After working with Angela for three months to help prepare my body again, we began trying. Two months later we were pregnant! I know you must be thinking that five months is a long time – yes it seems that way when you are in the middle of the process and not getting any younger, however, the flip side is that I could still be trying to get pregnant and experiencing the same emotional roller coaster, prior to TCM treatments. I am also a firm believer that you need a healthy body prior to getting pregnant, as it does take a huge physical toll on your body.
This was a very cautious time for my husband and I, based on our previous experiences. However, along with her treatments, she guided me through various other strategies to stay calm and healthy, both mentally and physically. Her perspective was also very different from that of the Western medical world, which called my experiences bad luck, as they had no explanation ( after many tests) as to what was causing the miscarriages. I feel Eastern medicine has a lot to offer to our maternal health. Angela’s knowledge, experience and flexibility ( great hours) in this area has made this a wonderful journey and has made me a strong advocate of Eastern medicine.
Everyone has their own story, but if you are experiencing any sort of infertility, as any age, I strongly recommend that you consider this as an option, in addition to what you are already doing.
Sincerely,
Proud New Momma!
I was having constant digestive issues and for a few months I could barely keep any food down. I was experiencing nausea and vomiting and had regular stomach pain. My sister referred me to see Skye and after the first treatment I was able to keep food down. After a few treatments I was feeling great. Skye instructed me to change my diet and I have been so much better since.
Thank you Skye, you’re the best
Shelley G.
I was referred to Dr. Fingler by a co-worker. When I first starting receiving treatments from Angie, I was a woman in my early 30’s who was overweight wanting to get pregnant and who had very bad mood swings. I was willing to try Chinese medicine and acupuncture to balance my mind, body and prepare for the bet environment for hopefully a baby. From the very first meeting Angie made me feel comfortable and I was confident that I had made the right decision to come to her for treatment.
After only a few months of treatment I was feeling better. My moods were evening out and I felt more balanced. To my great surprise my husband and I concieved only after a few months of treatments. I strongly believe that Angie’s methods and treatments greatly contributed to that success. I carried full term and had a beautiful healthy baby girl.
Krista D.
I started seeing Nicole just after my low risk pregnancy became high risk because a second baby was found, yay twins. Nicole was amazing during my pregnancy; I truly believe acupuncture contributed greatly to my physical and mental health, along with the health of the babies, who were born at 38 weeks and 6 days. It also helped flip my twin A to head down and prepared my body for delivery. Nicole stood in my corner during the pregnancy, my postpartum health care, and continues to this day. She is extremely knowledgeable and listens to each person with care. I would recommend anyone go see her. I take my four boys (ages 6, 2, 1, & 1) to see her for immune boosting and continued support of overall good health. Our one son was born with structural issues with his airway which makes viruses hard on him, so Chinese medicine and acupuncture have started to play a role in keeping him out of the hospital as much as possible. After each treatment I feel better then when I walked in, and know my body is healthier for it
L.W
After suffering from acne for most of my life I finally found Skye. With her herbs and acupuncture I finally have clear skin.
Christina
I’m really pleased to be writing this review for Dr. Fingler, because I wholeheartedly believe that beginning treatment with her is what got my fertility journey on the right track.
When I arrived at Angela’s office, after a friend recommended her, I had already sought the help of a naturopath and been tested by the fertility clinic. My husband and I had been trying to conceive for 1.5 years with no success, and I was approaching 35 years of age. The outcome of the testing at the fertility clinic gave us a diagnosis of “infertility of unknown origin”. Options for treatment that we were offered included medication (Clomid), surgery (to remove an ovarian cyst), or IUI. We decided that if we were going to need medical intervention to conceive anyway, we could take a 6 month pause to keep trying and pursue more natural treatments. What difference would it make if we did Clomid or IUI at 36 years of age instead of 35, right?
When I sat down at my first appointment with Angela, the first thing she asked me was to tell her my about my story and the journey we’d been on that brought me to her office. I breathed a huge sigh of relief as I realized I’d met a health practitioner that cared about understanding where we were coming from, and what had not worked.
I began treatment March 2014. Angela was focused on a few issues with my cycle (I had some spotting on a regular basis a few days before my cycle started, and my cycle was short, 26 days). She recommended weekly acupuncture treatments and Chinese herbs. I asked how long I should give the treatment plan before we started to consider some of the options the fertility clinic offered us. She said it would be at least 3 months to see some changes.
We had some travel interruptions to my weekly appointments, but by the end of June 2014, I noticed my spotting had stopped, and my cycle lengthened to 29 days. I wondered if this was just a fluke. Sure enough, next month, no spotting, and a 30 day cycle. Then, at the end of August 2014, no spotting, and I was on day 31 waiting for my period to start when I realized I should take a pregnancy test, and it turned out to be positive. I was completely shocked. I’m now 30 weeks pregnant and our baby will arrive end of April 2015. I’ve continued care with Angela throughout my pregnancy (on a monthly or semi-monthly frequency, as per her recommendations), and I appreciate having her input and care on this totally new experience of being pregnant.
Acupuncture treatments were without a doubt what transformed my cycle and gave us the best chance of conception. Angela was always perceptive in the questions she asked, it felt like she was focused on the right things and had a plan, which was reassuring for me. She has to operate as part-time health practitioner, and part-time counsellor- as infertility has some dark days. She is a great listener, and was good at re-directing those dark days with encouragement from her years of experience.
I would not hesitate in recommending Angela to anyone that I met who was struggling with infertility. She is really a credit to this profession.
Karen D
Skye has been such a support during the process of getting pregnant and now caring for my unborn child. Skye’s outlook on pregnancy was such a breath of fresh air and I have enjoyed working with her over the past year. I truly believe that Skye’s practice of acupuncture and Chinese Medicine helped me conceive and continues to help me though my pregnancy.
Suzanne. M
I started seeing Angie for acupuncture treatment very soon after my second miscarriage. As soon as I met her, I felt that she was very experienced, educated, and had an amazing intuition about her patients needs. She has the innate ability to put her patients on a path of healing, give them new hope and strength to help them prepare for conception. She was able to help my periods become more regular and normal after the trauma of three D&C’s! Her gentle and skilled technique made the treatments painless as well as relaxing. She cares deeply for her patients and always offers sound advice. Angie has had a profound impact on my life. I wouldn’t be as strong as I am today without her support, care and treatment.
Vicki W
I was very skeptical about the procedure initially but have now come to rely on it. Before I retired from nursing I had a lot of back and hip pain which kept me from going to work. When I retired the pain intensified; so I saw Nicole a bit more frequently along with other alternative modalities. To my surprise, acupuncture was the best cure for me. I am now walking better with a lot less pain, work out 3 days a week and have lost 55 lbs due to my increase in mobility. My retirement has been very enjoyable; I’ve traveled to 3 different countries and been on 2 Caribbean cruises since and am loving the physical freedom from pain my body has struggled with for so long. I have also been experiencing hormonal changes and surprisingly acupuncture has been extremely helpful in keeping my symptoms at bay. I am not able to use menopause hormones so this is a very safe and natural alternative. As you can see, I’m now a very strong believer in acupuncture. Thank you Nicole Stevens.
J.D
After having suffered a miscarriage before getting pregnant with my daughter, I naively thought our struggles with fertility were behind us. Unfortunately, once my husband and I decided to try for our second I suffered another miscarriage around 8 weeks, but it was a missed miscarriage, so I had to take a medication to induce labour. The medication worked, but it was like a freight train hitting my body. Without giving my body, and our hearts, time enough to heal we tried again. I became pregnant immediately, but knew something was wrong. Sure enough it was another missed miscarriage, but I really apprehensive about taking medication again. A friend had gone to see Angie when she was pregnant and I wondered if she could help me. She saw me the day after I spoke to her and was able to give me a treatment and take-home herbs to help induce the miscarriage. This happened in a much more natural way that was a lot easier to physically recover from.
In the months to come I continued to see Angie. She encouraged my husband and I to let my body heal and balance as well as take our minds off of ‘trying’. Although it was incredibly hard to wait, it was the best thing for me. I suffered another early miscarriage after a few months of treatment, but continued to go to Angie for treatments. After about 6 more months of treatments I became pregnant again and am experiencing a lovely pregnancy with our second baby expected to arrive in about 3 months or so.
What I found with Angie was that she was able to see imbalances in my system that western medicine chalked up to be “just one of those things”. Angie’s bedside manner was terrific and helped me through the emotional roller coaster my husband and I experienced. It was a helpful ‘therapy’ to help us get to where we truly wanted to be and I’m grateful for that part of the experience.
Sarah Ingram
I approached the idea of Acupuncture with a great deal of doubt. Because of a prior 20+ year injury, I walked with a cane and could not sit or stand for longer than 20 mins. After my first session with Skye not only could I sit and Stand for long than 60 mins I no longer need my cane! As a health care professional, I cant explain what has happened or why- it just works! Of course the Acupuncture Professional using her knowledge and expertise makes the process work. Skye has made a significant change in my life- Ask my wife
Pat. P
When I was very small I was told I had asthma and a very weak respiratory system. Every time I caught a cold it would go into my chest (lungs) and I would end up with bronchitis or pneumonia. I missed a lot of school, hockey and basketball because I was always getting sick. Our family doctor would put me on antibiotics and I would feel better in two days but as soon as I was finished them I would start feeling sick and usually within a month it would start all over again. The last three years have been the worst. I have been sick with pneumonia, mono and ear and sinus infections. Last March I missed a full month of school. My Mom asked me to please try cupping and acupuncture as we had already tried herbs and hands-on-healing, Reiki and homeopathy. I was so sick I said I’d try anything. Since I’ve been having treatments I feel better, have more energy and have not been sick again.