Acupuncture + Herbal Medicine + Holistic Fertility Coaching

If you’ve ever spotted before then you know it’s not like a regular menstrual flow. Spotting is very light vaginal bleeding, typically so light it doesn’t even require more than a pantyliner, if that. Sometimes it’s so light the only sign it’s even happening is a pink tinge when you wipe after peeing.

It can happen at the beginning or end of a regular period, or it may occur randomly during any other part of the cycle. For some it may even happen during pregnancy. Some spotting may be normal, while other types of spotting can be indicative of hormone imbalance or certain conditions. I’ll explain what’s going on and, if needed, how to manage your spotting.

Candida is a specific type of yeast (or fungus) that lives in our bodies, which is weird, I know.

Most of the time this yeasty little hitchhiker doesn’t cause any problems because it’s kept in check by our immune system and plenty of probiotics, which are the “good” bacteria that live in our gut. Unfortunately, under certain conditions candida can overgrow and cause symptoms that range from frequent vaginal yeast infections, urinary tract infections, oral thrush, fatigue, digestive issues, or even sinus infections.

Because our bodies normally keep candida in check with our immune system and healthy gut flora, undergoing a candida cleanse is a common treatment for anyone prone to overgrowth of yeast. The cleanse includes avoiding sugar, simple starches, gluten, yeast/mold/fungus-containing foods, and other gut irritants, while eating plenty of veggies, lean proteins, and probiotic-rich foods.

It can feel overwhelming to take on any kind of cleanse, but it’s actually a fairly simple plan to follow and only takes a few weeks to reset your system. Plus, most my patients who do the candida cleanse love the effect it has on their digestion, mood, energy level, and skin clarity.

Blood work is a valuable tool to quantify hormone levels and fertility markers, which together give insight as to how our ovaries are functioning and the quality of the eggs they contain. If you are currently trying to conceive or thinking about getting pregnant in the next few years, testing your hormones can give you a lot of helpful information that will assist you in making informed decisions about your family planning.

If you’re new to learning about these hormones then all the abbreviations and numbers are enough to leave you feeling dizzy, but I’m going to explain what they mean for your health and fertility, and let you know exactly how you can test them yourself.

Hot flashes suck, it’s hard to understand if you’ve never experienced one before. They can stop you in your tracks or send you running home for a change of dry clothes. If you’ve been dealing with hot flashes, whether from menopause or other hormonal imbalances, then you’re probably desperate to find something that works.

Luckily you’re in the right place, because I treat them all the time, in people of all ages. In many cases diet and herbs can majorly improve hot flashes and hormonal imbalances if you know what to look for, I’ll explain how!

Does your period suck? Well then we should talk, because I hated my period for a very long time, and now me and my period are friends. We can hang once a month when she comes to town and it doesn't destroy my whole damn life.

My journey of healing my cycle is what made me so passionate to learn all the ways Chinese medicine can help those who menstruate, and to share this knowledge with anyone who will listen. I believe it's our birthright to have a period that’s manageable, if not enjoyable. And honestly? It’s really not as complicated as it's all made out to be.

Depending on why your periods or cycles suck, whether they are painful, emotional, or totally irregular, I’ll walk you through exactly what you can do to feel better each month.

If you are currently breastfeeding and experiencing difficulty, that situation can range from frustrating to devastating. Luckily, there are lots of natural options that can improve your supply and make breastfeeding a lot easier. From diet and herbs, to acupuncture and lactation consultations, I’ll break down exactly what’s what and how to boost your supply in no time.

If you don’t know already, a sitz bath is a bath you can sit in, so it’s typically used for healing the perineum, anal area, and vulva. It can clean, soothe, and reduce inflammation or irritation of these areas in cases of hemorrhoids, perineal swelling, irritation or the anus or vulva, general uterine health, and postpartum recovery.

You can do a simple sitz bath with plain water, or some people add epsom salt, sea salt, and/or essential oils. I tend to prefer using brewed herbs to boost healing and gain the benefits of whichever botanicals are used.

If you’ve never used a sitz bath before there can be a bit of a learning curve to getting it right, especially when adding herbs into the mix, but it’s actually not that complicated. I’ll explain exactly how.

I always joke with my patients about the myths of ovulation, one of the main ones being - “today is the day, we’ve got to have sex right NOW!” There’s an episode of Friends with Monica and Chandler that comes to mind.

In reality, that’s not really how it works. Many people are surprised to find out that sperm can survive for up to 5 days in the female body during the fertile window. And because fertilization happens within 24 hours of ovulation, the full fertile window is actually 7 days long.

Let’s talk about how to figure out when your fertile window starts and ends.

Most of my patients opt to chart their cycle with cycle charting apps, whether they are just keeping track of when their period starts and ends, or they’re going all out and charting basal body temperature and taking ovulation tests.

Apps can be a simple way to keep track of cycle data, carry it with you wherever you go, and in some cases these apps can even play a crucial role in helping to determine when ovulation happens, when the fertile window starts and ends, and other common patterns that may be effecting your period or fertility. I’m going to walk you through some of my favorite cycle charting apps and why each may be a good fit for you.

Anxiety is one of the most common reasons people turn to herbal medicine. Both because herbal remedies can provide fewer side effects than pharmaceuticals and a milder effect on the body. But I find the topic is often oversimplified.

We can't simply use herbs symptomatically for anxiety, it's important to have a full understanding of what the herbs do, how they work in the body, as well as who they work best for. So I'm going to explain how sedative, adpatogenic, and nervine herbs work to improve anxiety, which herbs to look for, and who they're most appropriate for.

The medical term is dyspareunia, which means difficulty, discomfort, or pain during intercourse. It's a condition I see quite frequently in my clinic and while many people who experience this symptom cross their fingers and hope it will go away on its own, that's not the reality for everyone.

As confusing and frustrating as dealing with painful sex can sometimes be, I find there are only so many causes. If we work our way through the list we can typically get to the bottom of what's actually going on. In many cases I've seen my patients find relief and actually heal from experiencing pain during sex, I'll explain how.

Luteal Phase Deficiency (LPD) is also called Luteal Phase Defect, but I don't particularly like to think of the human body as "defective" so I prefer deficiency.  LPD is a hormonal condition that involves deficiency of progesterone, which makes the luteal phase (the portion of the cycle after ovulation and before menstruation) a bit too short. This may contribute to low basal body temperatures during this phase, which can make implantation and pregnancy difficult. In fact, infertility and miscarriage are common symptoms of LPD and progesterone deficiency.

If this is the first time you're hearing about LPD, then you probably have a lot of questions. What causes it? How can you tell if you have it? And what can you do to treat it? Not to worry, I'm going to break it all down for you right now.

Let's face it, migraines suck, and sometimes medication simply doesn't do much to take the edge off. Or for some medication for migraines isn't even an option. So then what?

Sometimes holistic treatments are the only options that actually offer up relief because they can address the root of the issue rather than just treating it like a symptom. In fact, many of my patients who respond well to acupuncture don't respond as well to any other treatment method. For their sake, thank goodness these holistic remedies exist!

Intrauterine devices, aka IUDs, are one of the most popular forms of birth control because they are among the most effective while also being quite low maintenance and most last several years. But as with any medical device, they can come with their fair share of side effects and symptoms.

I've spoken with hundreds of women about their experiences with IUDs, so obviously I've heard it all. It ranges from those who can barely tell they ever got it put in to those who dread every single day they have it in and ultimately end up getting it removed because it doesn't work for them. I'm not here to tell you what the right choice is for you, but if you're dealing with side effects of an IUD or you're considering getting one, then I'd like to help you deal and to feel better.

PCOS stands for Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. It is the most common cause of infertility in America with an estimated 1 in 10 women experiencing it sometime in their lifetime. PCOS is a hormone imbalance that, because it’s a “syndrome,” can present many ways.

I treat patients with PCOS all the time and help many of them to cycle and ovulate regularly and subsequently get pregnant successfully. It is an incredibly common condition, which means there are lots of resources for treatment, which in most cases have an excellent chance at success. Allow me to break it down for you.