Success Stories

Cara’s mom brought her to see me when she was 12 years old. She had gotten her first period about 6 months earlier and her mother had noticed a real shift in her mood and overall happiness. Her mom had very difficult periods as a teen and was put on birth control to regulate them at age 14. She wanted to know if there were other options for her daughter. Cara’s periods were still irregular and were accompanied by cramping and feelings of sadness and irritability. She told me that she hated having her period and she felt like her body was mad at her. She wanted to know if it would always be like this for her and what she could do about it. The first thing that I did was to spend time with Cara and her mom talking about what is normal for the first stages of getting your period. They were able to ask all of their questions and together, we made a plan for Cara. I explained that by stimulating the right acupoints, we could help regulate her cycle, alleviate pain and lift her mood. She was very open to acupressure and her mother was interested in learning the acupoints so she could do them for her daughter at home. They agreed to come in for 2 acupuncture visits during the first cycle, and then one visit per cycle after that. After the first 2 treatments, her next cycle was much less painful. I saw her for one more cycle, which came 28 days later and was much less painful. Cara and her mom both said that they felt relieved by this approach to managing menstrual issues. 

Ella was a 16-year-old girl who came to me because she was suffering from intense pain during her periods. Her period was also irregular, and she lived in fear of when it might come. When she did get it, she would be out of commission for about two days with severe pain, a very heavy flow and exhaustion. She was missing school and orchestra practice and she had recently quit the volleyball team because she felt overwhelmed by trying to manage her periods and the other things going on in her life. She wanted to know why she was experiencing so much pain and if there was anything that could be done to help her. She had never had acupuncture before, but her mother had had success with using acupuncture to regulate her periods and wanted her to try it. I explained that by stimulating the right acupoints, we could help regulate her cycle and alleviate menstrual pain. Our goal was to regulate her period so that she felt less stressed about the onset of her period and be able to participate normally in school, music, and sports. Ella came for acupuncture for 3 months and experienced significant improvement. Her period stopped coming more than once a month and eventually settled into a regular rhythm. When it did come, she had significantly less pain, which could be addressed with one dose of ibuprofen and her flow leveled out so that it was not so heavy. With a more predictable cycle, a normal flow, and tools to manage cramps, she went back to playing sports, music and having a full teen life.