Women's Health

Are you struggling with mood swings, fatigue, insomnia, painful or irregular menstruation, gastrointestinal pain, unexplained weight gain/loss or infertility? Have you worked to treat your symptoms, but you have not found any relief? Do you feel anxious, hopeless or even isolated dealing with these health challenges?

The root of all these struggles is grounded in one driving force: Hormonal Imbalance. Ultimately, the degree to which our hormones can communicate between our endocrine glands and target organs will determine the quality of our wellbeing. Hormones are significantly affected during menstruation, pregnancy or menopause, but can also become imbalanced as a consequence of certain medical conditions, lifestyle habits, environmental stressors and endocrine gland malfunctions, leading potentially to more dangerous diseases and/or infertility.

Balancing hormones and finally feeling like our full selves, happy and pain-free, may be easier than you thought. Schedule an appointment with our certified specialists so we can curate a personalized treatment plan for your unique situation based on your symptoms and health history. Allow us to stimulate your body’s natural healing abilities, promoting physical and emotional wellbeing, and restoring harmony to your life.

Three out of every four women are estimated to experience PMS. Most of us may recognize the more common PMS symptoms, including fatigue, cramping, lower back pain, acne, bloating, breast tenderness, increased sensitivity and sometimes even anxiety and depression. Others unfortunately suffer from far worse symptoms, oftentimes causing a significant upset to their daily lives that can disrupt relationships and work.

Although we cannot say exactly what causes PMS, research consistently suggests that this is due to cyclic changes in hormones and chemical changes in the brain through the course of a woman’s cycle. Fortunately, we also have multiple studies that prove how acupuncture can be a highly effective path for treating both the common ails of PMS, as well as of the more serious condition, known as PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder).

Schedule an appointment with us so we can help pinpoint the symptoms and treat these with tried and true acupuncture therapies to bring some relief to your cycle, relationships and work.

Polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS, affects up to 10% of women in North America and is the leading cause of ovulatory based infertility. Women are often diagnosed with PCOS only after trying to conceive or seeking help for an irregular cycle, and although this condition can be intimidating, you have the power to make a big difference in your own health and fertility.

Simply put, PCOS manifests in increased insulin resistance, limiting the body’s capacity to metabolize insulin and glucose. The results can include: glucose intolerance, impaired glucose metabolism, elevated lipid profile, high blood pressure, mood swings and irritability. Untreated, PCOS can not only impact fertility, but can also lead to obesity, heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.

For both Western and Chinese medicine, the first line of treatment is diet and weight control. The goal is to regulate blood sugar, decrease insulin resistance and improve glucose metabolism to stabilize mood and weight. With some women, reducing insulin levels and improving insulin sensitivity through weight loss, a low glycemic diet and exercise may restore normal ovulation.

Here at Austin Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine, we treat the underlying imbalances, causing hormonal irregularities, to correct the problem and the symptoms together. Schedule an appointment to evaluate your symptoms so we can develop specialized acupuncture treatments and implement nutritional guidelines to help you regulate your menstrual cycle. Chinese herbs are also extremely effective in stimulating ovulation and can be discussed with our experts to find the right treatment plan for your unique fertility needs.

Endometriosis is a painful and chronic condition that unfortunately affects 176 million women worldwide. It is caused by tissue that attaches to parts of our organs other than the uterus. This tissue is similar to the uterine lining, so it also responds to the hormones released during the menstrual cycle, but unlike the uterine lining, this tissue has no way of leaving the body. Consequently, this can cause severe pain, inflammation, internal bleeding, scarring and bowel problems, all that are not remedied by any common painkillers.

If you happen to be one of these women, suffering from extremely painful cramps, long periods, heavy menstrual flow, bowel and urinary disorders, nausea, pain during intercourse and/or infertility, we are happy to share that you can find relief and pain reduction through acupuncture and Chinese medicines.

Reach out to speak with our reproductive specialists, skilled in the art and science of assessing each individual to determine the best treatment strategy to manage symptoms and balance the body’s constitution to prevent issues in the future. Finally find some lasting relief that does not include major surgery or ineffective painkillers.