Empowering Women’s Health and Fertility

At Balance, we believe that every woman deserves access to compassionate, healthcare tailored to her unique needs. Our commitment to women’s health goes beyond acupuncture; it’s a holistic approach that nurtures body, mind, and spirit while supporting each woman on her journey to wellness, fertility, and self-empowerment.

Supporting Women’s Health at Every Stage

Women’s health is a journey that evolves through the stages of life, and we are here to support you through all of them. Whether you’re seeking relief from menstrual pain, managing hormonal shifts, or finding balance through perimenopause and menopause, our acupuncture treatments and herbal remedies are crafted to harmonize your body’s natural rhythms. We are dedicated to creating a safe, welcoming space where women can heal, grow, and thrive.

Fertility Support Tailored to You

The path to fertility can be deeply personal and sometimes challenging. As specialists in women’s health and fertility, we use  acupuncture, herbal medicine, and moxibustion to support and optimize your fertility journey. Whether you're preparing to conceive naturally, undergoing IVF, or exploring other fertility options, our treatments are designed to nurture your reproductive health and increase your body’s natural resilience. We aim help you feel empowered, supported, listened to, and confident every step of the way.

Advocating for Women’s Rights and Health Autonomy

Our clinic is not only committed to supporting women’s health and fertility but also to standing up for women’s rights. We believe every woman has the right to make informed decisions about her body and health. In our practice, we advocate for your autonomy and work alongside you, providing options and expertise so you can make choices that align with your values and goals. We take pride in being part of a community that respects and celebrates women’s strength and resilience.

Your Health is Our Mission

Our vision for women’s health is built on the foundation of empowerment, healing, and advocacy. We strive to create a nurturing environment where you feel heard, supported, and uplifted in every aspect of your wellness. With our integrative approach to women’s health, we’re here to support not only your physical well-being but your overall quality of life.

While we are a general practice and treat everything from pediatrics to men’s health and pain conditions and more, the majority of our clientele comes in for women’s health and fertility help. Every day we are supporting women through an IVF cycle, or a miscarriage, or a successful pregnancy, or postpartum issues, or unexplained infertility, and the list goes on.

We are fully committed to supporting you wherever you are in your journey and to provide care on every level: mind, body, and spirit. If you, or someone you know, could benefit from our support, don’t hesitate to reach out. (843) 790-4295.

Acupuncture for Healthy Menstrual Cycles

Menstrual health is a vital aspect of overall well-being and can be thought of as a “fifth vital sign,” along with blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Yet many women face challenges like irregular cycles, painful periods, or mood swings.

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) offer a holistic approach to managing menstrual health, focusing on balancing the body's energy (Qi), harmonizing hormones, and promoting emotional well-being. This article explores how acupuncture and TCM can support menstrual health, offering practical tips for maintaining a healthy menstrual cycle.

Understanding Menstrual Health in TCM

In Chinese Medicine, menstrual health is closely linked to the balance of Qi and Blood, as well as the proper functioning of the Liver, Spleen, and Kidney meridian systems. These organs work together to regulate the menstrual cycle, nourish the uterus, and maintain emotional balance.

Liver: The Liver is responsible for the free flow of Qi and Blood. If the Liver Qi is stagnant, it can lead to painful periods, PMS, and emotional disturbances.

Spleen: The Spleen governs the production of Blood. A weak Spleen can lead to insufficient Blood, resulting in light or irregular periods.

Kidney: The Kidneys store the essence (Jing), which is fundamental for reproductive health. Weak Kidney energy can cause issues like irregular cycles or infertility.

Additionally, two crucial meridians—the Conception Vessel (Ren Mai) and the Chong Meridian (Chong Mai)—play a significant role in regulating the menstrual cycle and reproductive health. These channels belong to a special system of channels called “The 8 Extraordinary Vessel”:

Conception Vessel (Ren Mai): Known as the "Sea of Yin," the Conception Vessel is responsible for nourishing and regulating the reproductive organs. It runs along the midline of the front of the body and is essential for maintaining a healthy uterus and supporting fertility.

Chong Meridian (Chong Mai): Often referred to as the "Sea of Blood," the Chong Meridian is closely linked to the menstrual cycle. It runs vertically through the body and intersects with the Conception Vessel. The Chong Meridian governs the flow of Blood and Qi throughout the body, particularly in the uterus, and plays a vital role in menstrual health, fertility, and pregnancy.

How Acupuncture Supports Menstrual Health

Acupuncture is a key component of TCM that involves inserting fine needles into specific points on the body to balance the flow of Qi. For menstrual health, acupuncture can:

Regulate hormones: By balancing the endocrine system, acupuncture helps regulate hormones, promoting regular menstrual cycles and reducing symptoms like PMS or heavy bleeding.

Relieve pain: Acupuncture releases endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and reduces inflammation, making it an effective treatment for menstrual cramps and pelvic pain.

Reduce stress and anxiety: Acupuncture calms the nervous system, helping to manage stress and emotional imbalances that often accompany menstruation.

Improve blood flow: By promoting the smooth flow of Blood and Qi, acupuncture ensures that the uterus is well-nourished, supporting healthy menstruation.

Chinese Medicine Tips for Menstrual Health

In addition to acupuncture, TCM offers several lifestyle and dietary tips to support menstrual health:

Warm the abdomen: In TCM, cold is believed to cause stagnation, leading to pain and irregular periods. Keep your abdomen warm, especially during your period, by using a heating pad or consuming warm foods and drinks.

Nourish the blood: Foods that nourish the Blood, like dark leafy greens, red meat (in moderation), beets, and dates, are essential during menstruation. Incorporating these into your diet can help replenish Blood and support a healthy flow.

Herbal remedies: TCM herbs like Dong Quai (Angelica Sinensis), and White Peony are often used to regulate the menstrual cycle and alleviate symptoms. Consult a licensed TCM practitioner for personalized herbal prescriptions.

Practice gentle movement: Activities like yoga, tai chi, or walking can help keep the Qi flowing smoothly. Avoid intense exercise during menstruation, as it can deplete energy and exacerbate symptoms.

Manage stress: Stress is a major disruptor of menstrual health in TCM. Practices like meditation, deep breathing, or acupuncture can help manage stress and maintain hormonal balance.

Hydrate properly: Drinking warm or room-temperature water helps maintain the body’s internal warmth and supports the smooth flow of Blood and Qi. Avoid cold or icy beverages, especially during menstruation.

When to Seek Acupuncture for Menstrual Health

If you experience symptoms like irregular periods, severe cramps, heavy bleeding, or significant mood swings, acupuncture may offer relief. Your practitioner will tailor the treatment to your unique constitution and menstrual pattern, ensuring a holistic approach to your health.

Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine offer a powerful, natural approach to supporting menstrual health. By balancing the body’s energies, regulating hormones, and addressing emotional well-being, these tried and true modalities can help women achieve a healthy, pain-free menstrual cycle. If you’re interested in exploring acupuncture for your menstrual health, consult with a licensed practitioner who can guide you on your journey to better health.

About Us

As dedicated acupuncturists with a focus on women's health, your Balance practitioners integrate the wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine into modern wellness practices. Our passion is helping women achieve hormonal balance and menstrual health through personalized care and holistic treatments. To learn more about how acupuncture can support your menstrual health, feel free to contact us at info@balancecharleston.com or (843)790-4295.

Local Acupuncturist Works to Support Families Facing Fertility Concerns

As seen in The Post and Courier’s Lowcountry Parent article, “Local acupuncturist works to support families facing fertility concerns”, by Heather Artushin (June 1, 2022).

Infertility is more common than you think, affecting one in eight couples who are trying to grow a family. Though many couples might worry about their fertility after a few months of trying to conceive, infertility becomes a concern from a medical standpoint after 12 months or more of being unable to become pregnant. Infertility does not discriminate - research shows that men and women are equally likely to experience reproductive concerns.

The impacts of infertility can include incidence rates of depression, anxiety and stress. For some people, supplementing traditional infertility treatments, such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), with holistic approaches, like acupuncture, can offset some of the added stress.

“Acupuncture is known for reducing stress. This is so important for fertility clients,” shares Lauren Becker, founder of Balance Acupuncture of Charleston. “It releases endorphins, helping the whole body relax, from your muscles to your mind. The nervous system slows down, causing the blood vessels to dilate and improving blood flow. When we are more relaxed, we feel more in control, which is especially important for those undergoing fertility treatments like IVF.”

Becker specializes in supporting people through infertility, although that wasn’t always her plan. “Most of my practice is now focused on fertility; when I started my career as an acupuncturist nine years ago, I didn’t know this would become my specialty,” she said. “But gradually, I started seeing more and more women trying to improve their chances of pregnancy, and when we would get the positive pregnancy test during the course of our acupuncture treatments, it was just the most joyful feeling.”

Research has shown many benefits to acupuncture for women who are trying to conceive, beyond stress reduction. “Acupuncture improves blood flow and microcirculation to the reproductive organs, especially the ovaries and uterus,” Becker explains. “Improving circulation nourishes follicular growth and also helps build a healthier endometrial lining. Increased ovarian blood flow increases our fertility. A thick uterine lining is the ideal environment for implantation and pregnancy … Additionally, acupuncture helps improve egg quality, balances the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis which helps to balance hormones, lowers inflammation, lowers stress levels, and helps increase healthier ovulation and cervical mucus. That’s a lot of good stuff!”

Becker works with women in all stages of their family planning journey. “Some may be planning for pregnancy but haven’t started yet,” she shares, “Some have been trying for six months or a year with no success, others experiencing recurrent miscarriages and some who are undergoing IVF or IUI and have read about acupuncture’s successes in improving the odds for pregnancy through IVF/IUI. I also work with many women who are trying to conceive naturally and there has not been a history of any issues, they just want all the support they can get.”

The incredibly personal experience of infertility can be difficult to share, but more easily navigated with a supportive village. Seeking a team of knowledgeable, supportive professionals can empower couples to increase their odds of making their dreams of having a baby a reality, and offer much-needed empathy, understanding and care on the often complex path to parenthood.

[Original article can be found here: https://www.postandcourier.com/lowcountryparent/health/local-acupuncturist-works-to-support-families-facing-fertility-concerns/article_fe43ee8a-e106-11ec-827d-4b3933d0693c.html]

Acupuncture for Fertility

By Lauren Becker, L.Ac.

Helping clients grow their families is one of the most rewarding aspects of my practice.

When I started my career as an acupuncturist 9 years ago, I didn’t know that fertility would become my specialty. But, gradually I started seeing more and more women trying to improve their chances of pregnancy, and when we would get the positive pregnancy test during the course of our acupuncture treatments, it was just the most joyful feeling. I loved getting texts and emails with pictures of positive pregnancy tests! From there, I tried to take on as many fertility clients as I could and gain as much experience possible. My fertility practice grew from there, and I began to focus most of my continuing education and reading about fertility and women’s health.

I mostly work with women in their late twenties, thirties, and up to mid forties. Depending on the age group and individual circumstances, we are working with potentially different aspects of family planning and fertility: some may be planning for pregnancy but haven’t started yet, some have been trying for 6 months or a year with no success, others experiencing recurrent miscarriages and some who are undergoing IVF or IUI and have read about acupuncture’s successes in improving the odds for pregnancy through IVF/IUI. I also work with many women who are trying to conceive naturally and there has not been a history of any issues, they just want all the support they can get.

These are some cases I may be working with, for example: a woman in her late twenties wants to stop taking birth control so she and her partner can start trying for a baby, and she wants to make sure her cycle is regulated and hormones are balanced through this transition. A woman in her mid thirties may be undergoing her third round of IVF treatments after 2 failed IVF cycles and a miscarriage; or, a woman in her early forties may be trying to conceive naturally and we are focusing on improving the quality of her eggs, after she was told her ovarian reserve is in decline due to age.

Whatever the circumstances, acupuncture is a wonderful way to support fertility. There are many highs and lows of fertility work, and I’m there for it all. The whole journey. Acupuncture treatments support those who are just beginning to family plan and those who have a history of infertility or miscarriage. In addition to boosting fertility, treatments always offer emotional support and healing along the way.

When I work with fertility clients, our goal is to create the healthiest version of who they are and prepare the most fertile environment for the best outcomes in creating a healthy baby. Through acupuncture, herbal medicine, and nutritional therapy specific to the client, we can balance the hormonal system and monthly cycle, and tap into the body’s innate intelligence to heal and flourish. This is the beauty of the medicine.

Our fertility program takes an integrative and highly individualized approach. We are able to come up with a treatment plan and fertility care designed specifically for the client based on a detailed Chinese medical diagnoses, and by looking at the subtle patterns in her body coupled with her body’s own story, Western diagnosis, lab results and past hormonal or fertility history.

Like with any medicine, there is no way for any health care provider, natural or conventional, to predict when or if the client will become pregnant. However, I do typically see positive pregnancy outcomes within 3-9 months of weekly or biweekly treatment, sometimes 12 months.

How Acupuncture Can Help With Fertility

Amazingly, Chinese Medicine and acupuncture has been used for thousands of years to help couples conceive. The idea is to create optimal health vitality, and fertile potential by balancing what may be out of balance, nourishing what may be deficient.

Some of the more common fertility concerns that we have helped treat to achieve healthy pregnancy and birth of healthy babies include: PCOS, endometriosis, poor ovarian reserve, thin endometrial lining, premature ovarian failure, irregular menstrual cycles, amenorrhea, hormonal imbalance, stress, anxiety and depression, advanced maternal age, unexplained infertility, and recurrent miscarriage.

Acupuncture improves blood flow and microcirculation to the reproductive organs, especially the ovaries and uterus. Improving circulation nourishes follicular growth and also helps build a healthier endometrial lining. Increased ovarian blood flow increases our fertility. A thick uterine lining is the ideal environment for implantation and pregnancy.

Most famously, acupuncture is known for reducing stress. This is so important for fertility clients. Acupuncture releases endorphins, helping the whole body relax, from your muscles to your mind. The nervous system slows down, causing the blood vessels to dilate and improving blood flow. When we are more relaxed, we feel more in control, which is especially important for those undergoing fertility treatments like IVF.

Additionally, acupuncture helps improve egg quality, balances the hypothalamus-pituitary-ovarian axis which helps to balance hormones, lowers inflammation, lowers stress levels, and helps increase healthier ovulation and cervical mucus. That’s a lot of good stuff!

And for those undergoing IVF, studies have shown that three months minimum of acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine prior to starting IVF or IUI cycles increase the outcomes of live births- they were 73% higher in the group who underwent three months of regular acupuncture treatments before the egg retrieval and transfer!

Success Stories

I’m proud to say that I have many success stories! Here are two I can share, with patient permissions:

“I started seeing Lauren for fertility treatments after my first pregnancy resulted in miscarriage. After being told by one OB-GYN that my miscarriage was likely due to my Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism, and by another (in the same practice) that my thyroid had nothing to do with it, I wanted another opinion. Lauren worked with me on the underlying autoimmune disease, and on preparing my body for another pregnancy. Once I felt ready to try again, I got pregnant in my first month of trying. I continued to see Lauren throughout my pregnancy where she helped with the usual aches and pains that come with carrying a baby, and I enjoyed the added benefit of stress relief that comes with every session…’“ - M.E.

“I found Lauren through an essential oils candle-making class at Candlefish. At the time my husband and I were about to start trying to get pregnant so I took note of some of the essential oils to avoid when pregnant that she mentioned during class. Fast forward 7 months and we still weren’t pregnant. Even though my cycles had always been screwed up, my doctor said she wouldn’t address it until we had tried for a year at which point they’d give me medicine. I contacted Lauren on a long shot to see if there were oils that could help me get pregnant and set up an appointment for a consultation. What did I have to lose? In the first 15 minutes of that appointment, Lauren was more thorough in her questions about my cycle than any GYN I had ever seen. She drew up a plan to treat me for blood stagnation (suspecting endometriosis, which my doctor later confirmed) and asked me to give her 4 months to get my body operating the way it should. She sent me away with oils, instructions, recommendations for food, and information on acupuncture should I decide to try it. At my appointment the following month I opted to add the acupuncture as I was already starting to see changes in my cycle. The following month my cycle was as if it was straight out of a textbook - something I’d never experienced in the 20 years since getting my first period. I got pregnant that month and became a Chinese medicine proponent for life! Lauren helped me through my entire pregnancy, with the added bonus of getting to share in the excitement our first pregnancies together (she was five weeks behind me). I gave birth without any complications and have a beautiful 2 year old girl I tell people to this day would not be here if it wasn’t for Lauren (with a little help from my husband).  - J.P.

Are you ready to give acupuncture a try? Give us a call (843) 790-4295 to learn more about how acupuncture can help you with fertility concerns. We’re here for you!