Whether dreams of starting a family are in your near future or are a ways off, it's never too early to start cultivating a lifestyle that nurtures whole health, for you and your future.
It’s common for women to come to me as a last resort. I often hear, “I’ve tried everything and I’m not losing weight,” or “I’m still feeling exhausted and miserable.” Sometimes all it takes is a new perspective to jumpstart the transformation process. Acupuncture and Chinese medicine sees health and physiology through a different lens and through that lens new treatment strategies can offer hope to women whose progress has stalled or plateaued with conventional advice.
Cramps, mood swings, bloating, fatigue, forgetfulness… Your monthly cycle is a natural and beneficial process, PMS is not! Premenstrual symptoms are signs of imbalances and when the body is functioning optimally your period should come and go without a single cramp or rage-filled outburst. Each symptom can indicate a number of imbalances. Learn why you’re experiencing your symptoms and what you can do to eliminate them.
Are you on Birth Control Pills (BCPs)? It’s more than likely you are since they are given out like skittles for whatever ails a woman. Menstrual cramps? PMS symptoms? acne? contraception? We’ve got the pill for that! That should be red flag #1. A pill for everything? If you are experiencing PMS symptoms, menstrual cramps or acne, it is an indication that the endocrine system needs recalibration, not suppression.
Stressed? You’re not alone. Many of us are spending our days high on cortisol, the primary stress hormone. High levels of cortisol in the bloodstream interfere with the proper functioning of our other hormones which help regulate appetite, sleep, sex drive, energy, and mental clarity, among other functions. Cortisol is not the enemy, it is a vital hormone in our physiology. A surge of cortisol, triggered by the sympathetic nervous system, enables us to flee or fight an impending threat. It stimulates the body to make energy readily available to use for this function. Ideally, in the absence of a threat, we should revert to our “rest and digest” functions of the parasympathetic nervous system. However, many of us are stuck in sympathetic dominance, stimulating the continuous and unremitting deluge of cortisol.
Whether I’m at a cocktail party or conversing with a stranger on a plane, I hear this question all the time. My answer is a resounding “Yes!” with over 3000 years of anecdotal evidence and over 30 years of rigorous scientific evidence to support it. Still skeptical? Ask around! Chances are, if you ask anyone who has received acupuncture for any number of conditions, they have found it effective. Once you’ve tried it, I’m confident you will become a believer too. But the good news is you don’t even have to be a believer for it to work, because the secret to its effectiveness isn’t in the placebo effect, it’s in our physiology and anatomy! The body is the most sophisticated technology we will ever know, yet it is also the most under-appreciated and underutilized.
