Maintaining a Healthy Menstruation Cycle
One of the most common reasons people seek out Acupuncture and Functional Medicine is for reproductive and menstrual irregularities. Women often feel uncomfortable talking about how they dread their monthly period and Western Medicine has little to offer other than prescription birth control. At our clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina we help women find relief to their menstrual irregularities.
The average cycle is 28-32 days with day one of your cycle being day one of your period. Your period can last anywhere between 4-7 days. You can expect light to moderate bleeding until finishing light before stopping.
Some women may experience light spotting around ovulation, or during the mid cycle. If you’re experiencing clotting, heavy bleeding, cramping that’s intense and debilitating, bleeding over 7 days, dark brown blood, fatigue and mood changes– there might be an imbalance in your cycle. Remember– periods are not meant to be a burden!
At Deep Roots Natural Medicine, we use the power of Traditional Chinese Medicine to understand the menstruation cycle.
- Menstrual Phase (Yin & Blood Phase) This is day one of your period, during this phase the body discharges accumulated blood to make way for the formation of new monthly blood. Day one of your period, start incorporating blood-moving foods such as turmeric, ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, eggplant, kelp and seaweeds into your cooking.
- Follicular Phase (Yin Phase) This phase starts about 7 days after menstruation begins. During this phase women’s bodies are relatively qi and blood deficient, due to the loss of menstruation blood and an important time to nourish the body. We recommend eating good proteins like eggs, fish, chicken, tofu, bone marrow soups, seeds and nuts, especially black sesame seeds, black beans and kidney beans. Plus, vegetables such as string beans, asparagus, seaweeds, algae, nettles and green leafy vegetables. Add nourishing fruits such as blackberries, blueberries, mulberries and coconut. Blood and yin nourishing foods are nutrient rich and encourage fluid and moisture levels that keep us vital and healthy.
- Ovulation (Yin Moving into Yang Phase) This is when Yin is at its most heightened state, there is a good base of blood now and cervical mucus should appear, this is when the energy of yang takes presents and ovulation begins. We may crave slightly less food in this phase. Keep eating plenty for lean protein, nuts and seeds, but also fresh fruit and vegetables. Try adding mildly spicy foods to mobilize fluids and prevent congestion, ginger, onion, garlic, leeks, cardamom, cumin, and fresh herbs to enhance your meals.
- Luteal Phase (Yang Phase) The Yang essence is the motivating force for all transformations in the body, it is warming and active, when you have an ample supply of yang you have plenty of energy. The Yang Phase is the most important for positive pregnancy outcomes. We recommend eating food that is cooked or steamed and warm, cooking food increases yang Qi. Avoid eating an abundance of raw foods in this phase. It’s recommended to have long slow cooked stews, broths, soups, use nourishing vegetables, pumpkin, leeks, onion, sweet potato, carrot, corn, parsnips, beans, peas, yams, quinoa, chicken, salmon.
The cycle of transformation of yin into yang and back again will repeat every month until you’re pregnant, menopausal or taking certain forms of birth control. The cycle renews itself by creating a fullness of yang that is then released and transformed into yin through a healthy menstrual flow.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine are wonderful tools to help achieve a healthy menstrual cycle. Together, they can also regulate the flow of your period and bleeding, balance your mood, energy and hormones which will help to alleviate menstrual irregularities. We custom formulate herbs for each patient and can formulate one for your specific needs. Chinese herbs are a great way to reinforce the changes we are making with acupuncture. We see those changes much sooner than with acupuncture or Chinese herbs alone.
We also offer Functional medicine testing. This is a great option in getting to the underlying root source of your condition. We can help you determine if the issues may be coming from hormonal and/or anemic tendencies. Looking at important levels such as ferritin, iron and a full thyroid panel will help with nutritional and supplemental needs to get you feeling better. Functional medicine uses blood testing and other forms of testing to see how your whole-body is functioning and correcting the imbalances through teaching you the right foods to eat, herbs and supplements that will help and when to expect to start feeling better.
There’s even more you can do, just to improve your overall health which undoubtedly can impact the health of your menstruation cycle. They include:
- Managing your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Blood sugar levels creep up slowly as we age, causing metabolic imbalance and slowing our circulation down.
- Regular physical activity/exercise. Do something you enjoy!
- Maintain a healthy weight. Avoid extreme dieting or the constant ups/downs. Work with us, the right health coaching can help show you real ways that will work for you in the long-term.
- If you’re smoking, let us help you stop! Smoking increases your risk of many illnesses. If you need help, contact us for more information.
At Deep Roots Natural Medicine, we’re here to support you with your natural health needs. Don’t hesitate, reach out to us today and see how we can help you. There are solutions to help you get back to feeling like yourself again and not having to hide for days in fear of heavy bleeding.
To work on cultivating a healthy menstrual cycle and work on improving women’s health, visit our website and schedule a In-Office or Virtual Consultation today!
