Bayview Naturopathic Wellness

 

Women's Health

Most women have experienced some form of hormonal imbalance.  It may be as commonplace as PMS, complicated as PCOS, or as natural as pregnancy or menopause.

PMS encompass wide range of symptoms including headache, bloating, breast tenderness, back pain, mood swings, appetite changes, skin changes, and insomnia.  As synonymous as they are with menstruation, not all women experience PMS.  In fact, women can significantly reduce their PMS symptoms with acupuncture, herbal supplementation, and proper food choices.

Typically confused with PMS, severe painful menstrual period is an entirely different beast.  If your menstrual cramps is more than a nuisance, consider receiving some physical therapies to improve blood flow to lower pelvis as well as some nutritional and herbal aids.   However, truly severe menstrual cramps requiring time away from school/work should be investigated for hormone deficiency or endometriosis. 

PCOS, short for polycystic ovarian syndrome, is often a condition diagnosed at puberty, in young women who experience irregular periods.  Among the symptoms of PCOS are also excessive body hair growth (face, abdomen, breasts) and insulin resistance (tendency to have hypoglycemia, weight gain).  If exercise and nutritional changes have not sufficiently improved your symptoms, acupuncture and herbs may be able to assist you.

Puberty, aside from being hormonally complicated, it is also emotionally charged.  For a variety of reasons, eating disorders and mood disorders tends to begin developing during this period in a young woman's life.  Emotional counseling early on can ensure a girl starts her womanhood right.

Although a very beautiful natural process, some women do experience discomforts and ailments during their nine months of pregnancy.  Morning sickness, skin itching, excessive varicose vein, back pain, gestational diabetes, and pre-eclampsia.  Through combining conventional and naturopathic medical treatments early on, both diabetes and pre-eclampsia can be managed.  Acupuncture, Bowen therapy, and other naturopathic treatment have excellent success rate in dealing with other minor pregnancy related discomforts at all stage.

Next to puberty and pregnancy, menopause is the third major hormonal event in a woman's life.  If you are someone experiencing hot flashes, night sweat, insomnia, mood changes, decreased libido and other menopausal symptoms, the temptation is strong to eradicate your symptoms at all cost.  Before considering taking HRT, consider naturopathic treatments as well.  Instead of adding artificial hormone to your body, start by balancing the hormones you already have.  There are many nutritional and herbal alternative that can safely reduce those pesky menopausal discomforts.