Mention to a friend that your unbearable period pain and it’s not unusual to be met with a response like ‘me too’ or ‘I have some painkillers if you need them’.

If you were experiencing multiple days of pain in any other part of your body - your abdomen, your leg or head - you would be promptly seeking help to get to the bottom of it.

Period pain, on the other hand, tends to be brushed aside with a dose of over-the-counter pain medication, a hot water bottle or a prescription for an oral contraceptive pill.

Given that research indicates that period pain affects up to 95% of women, it’s not surprising that it doesn’t tend to be considered an abnormal indicator that something might be amiss. It’s generally thought to be just an ordinary part of the female experience, that, unfortunately needs to be tolerated or masked with medication.

While the pill can indeed successfully control symptoms, it can be masking underlying problems that become apparent as women get older and decide they want to start a family.

Regulating Hormones

Here at Yin Studio, I usually end up seeing people when they want to get pregnant and I’ve had a lot of women say to me that when they didn’t want to get pregnant, they didn’t pay much attention to their menstrual cycle. Once they want to get pregnant, they look back and wish they hadn’t stayed on the pill for so long, and realise they have some work to do to get their body and cycle healthy again.

On the pill, your hormones aren’t doing what they would normally do. They are artificially suppressed and the synthetic hormones start running the show. The minute you stop taking the pill, your body will automatically revert back to the same patterns that it used to have.

If a woman can regulate her hormones from an earlier age, you will have fewer problems, not only in fertility but down the track with menopause. A lot of women leave it until there is a big problem.

A combination of acupuncture, herbs, and simple lifestyle changes can help to effectively relieve painful, heavy periods, as well as improve fertility or symptoms of menopause later in life.

I don’t think women in general have enough knowledge, understanding or respect for their bodies and their fertility. Even if you do not want a baby right now or know that you may never want a family, it’s still worth nourishing and protecting your fertility.

A lot of women who end up undergoing assisted reproduction and fertility treatments, as well as reproductive surgeries may have been able to avoid these courses of action if they had had a better understanding of what constitutes a normal menstrual cycle.

What does a Normal Period look like?

A healthy period is a fresh red bleed that isn’t too light or too heavy, with no spotting at the start, clotting during the bleed. While some minimal dull aches are OK, there shouldn’t be any intense, throbbing or stabbing pain that forces you to lie down or significantly affects your day to day life. It will last from 3-7 days and is roughly 28-32 days apart.

How Does Acupuncture Work?

Acupuncture regulates hormones via the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis, providing relief from hormone-related symptoms. It doesn’t matter what age or life stage a woman is at; this can be used to regulate hormones and help provide relief from hormone-related symptoms.

The needle doesn’t touch the nerve, but it does stimulate the nerve. This prompts chemical messages and neuro-transmitters to travel through the nervous pathways, through the spinal cord and to the brain. According to Harvard Health, endorphins are released by the brain when acupuncture needles are placed into strategic energy points on the body and that release of endorphins can play a big part in the reduction of pain, stress and even depression.

There have been studies down with MRI scans on the brain while someone is having acupuncture and the related areas of the brain are lighting up showing that the acupuncture is increasing endorphins and blood flow. At the site where the needle is, the immune system is also activated and all the white blood cells are brought forward along with all the kinds of things that are needed to help heal the body.

Acupuncture in Australia is often an unexplored pathway to a healthier menstrual cycle and body. Education about alternative options to conventional medicine is hugely important for young women.

Free 15 Minute Consultation
Why Not Book In For A Free 15 Minute Mini-Consultation - Come In And Spend Some Time Talking About Your Health.  Whether You Decide To Work With Me Or Not, You Will Leave The Session Knowing That There Are Concrete Things You Can Do To Feel Better and More In Control.

Cathy Bell,

Doctor of Chinese Medicine,

Registered Acupuncturist AHPRA

Yin Studio:

Founded in 2006 by Cathy Bell, Yin Studio has become a sought-after health and wellness clinic, known for its warm, inviting atmosphere and sincere, compassionate care for its patients.

Cathy Bell provides results-oriented, natural wellness care for people of all ages. Her goal with each patient is a long-term, self-sustained shift in core factors that determine health and wellness. These core factors bridge all levels of being — physical, psychological, even spiritual.

My mission is simple: To support YOUR health and goals, and help you make the most of them. Whether you want to complement your conventional medical treatments with natural support, or go with a 100% natural solution, I do my best to help you achieve the best outcome possible. Treatments are based on getting results as quickly and efficiently as possible. Results matter, and I am proud of a proven history of positive outcomes.

Your body’s natural healing intelligence never forgets how to restore balance and vitality to every cell, tissue, and organ. All you have to do is give it the right support. At Yin Studio you are an active participant in the healing process. You will be educated on the proper way to get your healing system back on track via a targeted, customised treatment plan that will include one or more of the following: acupuncture, nutrition, herbs, lifestyle/mind-body coaching.