Traditional East Asian Medicine views the reproductive system as a network of energy systems that includes the organs, hormones, and blood. This energy network responds to environment, exercise, diet, sleep, and emotions—any stress on the system, from chemicals in drinking water to insomnia to grief, can affect the body. These stresses can manifest as painful or difficult periods. Your menstrual cycle tells us quite a bit about your overall health.
With acupuncture and herbs, we work to gently help bring your body back into balance. It can take a few cycles to re-regulate hormones, but acupuncture and herbs are extremely effective for almost all menstrual issues, including:
- PMS or PMDD symptoms
- Irregular, early, or late periods
- Painful, crampy, or clotty menstruation
- Low back pain before or during menstruation
- Cyclical digestive disturbances
- Fibroids & endometriosis
- Ovarian cysts, including PCOS
- Menopausal symptoms
- Fertility
One of the many questions we ask during the intake (even if you just come in for back pain or acid reflux) is what day of your menstrual cycle you’re on. Why is this important to us? In this medicine, we treat people according to how they present on a given day. We are all constantly in flux. One day we might be well-hydrated, happy, well-slept, and the next we may have just eaten a greasy meal and been up all night with a screaming baby or had a stressful day at work. These are two very different presentations and they require different treatments.
There are always certain constitutional tendencies or chronic issues that will recur from one appointment to the next, but in our intake we always try to look at you with fresh eyes. This is especially true with regard to hormones. Because of acupuncture’s powerful effect on the endocrine system, we need to know where you are in your cycle so that we have a sense of how to work with your body’s natural rhythms.
Western medicine sees the menstrual cycle in two phases: the follicular phase, which is dominated by estrogen (days 1-14), and the luteal phase (days 15-28), which is dominated by progesterone at the end. Traditional East Asian Medicine sees the menstrual cycle in four parts: Blood, Yin, Yang, and Qi.
BLOOD PHASE/ Menstruation (days 1-5): We work on nourishing blood and avoid acupuncture points and techniques that move or circulate energy. Likewise, overly-moving activities and foods should be minimized (vigorous exercise, spicy foods, alcohol). This is a good time for rest and turning inward. Let us know if your periods are clotty or painful! Herbs are especially helpful for this.
YIN PHASE (days 6-13): Yin phase. During this time, there are increased amounts of estrogen, causing the lining of the uterus to thicken and the follicles to develop. We encourage you to eat protein and mineral-rich foods (meat, eggs, cooked leafy greens) to replenish blood and and to nourish your system.
Day 14: Ovulation. An ovum is released. The body prepares to shift from Yin to Yang and the basal body temperature rises. Some women experience discomfort, cramping, or spotting at this point in their cycle. This is something to tell us in your appointment.
YANG PHASE (days 15-21): The body turns its focus from building and nourishing the uterine walls and follicles to preparing for implantation; if fertilization does not take place, the uterus prepares to shed the lining. This is an active and energetic time.
QI PHASE (days 22-28): Toward the end of this phase, levels of estrogen drop. Serotonin levels drop with the estrogen, so there can be PMS symptoms like feelings of frustration, depression, easy tears, mood swings, as well as physical symptoms like breast tenderness and bloating. Your body is ready to move all the blood it has gathered in the uterus and your hormones are about to shift drastically again as you head into the menstrual phase. We use acupuncture points that circulate and smooth your energy so that you don’t experience as many difficult emotional and physical symptoms.
Our bodies are a part of nature. Menstrual cycles are a potent reminder of this fact; they have four seasons and move with the moon. Just as we shift our behavior, clothing, and foods from winter to summer, through being mindful of our own seasons we learn about our internal nature. Please feel free to ask us any questions about your cycle when you come in.
Photo: Frida Kahlo, 1949, “The love embrace of the universe, the earth (Mexico), myself, Diego, and Senor Xolotl”
