Women’s health
Women’s Health Introduction
It is clear to say that as females we don’t have it easy! Periods, Fertility and Menopause are all subjects that are close to our hearts. Some have medical problems in these areas for many years. However, we are becoming more and more aware of our bodies, their strengths, and weaknesses. We do not want to keep popping pills, we want answers, to understand and to take alternative routes to better health. We are now surrounded by choice. Very much like the matrix film, you can either take the blue pill for this direction and the red for the other. This is where acupuncture and fascial manipulation come in. This choice is about re setting your body to do what nature intends. Yes, there will be some conditions and circumstances that cannot be helped. But we know that our health is important, and we need to sometimes just try alternative routes that help more than hinder.
Here is a brief understanding of what I can treat in clinic:
Periods
Every woman is different, no period is the same, what is normal for you may not be normal for someone else. Here is a list of dysfunctions:
• Clots
• Back pain
• Fibroids
• Ovarian cysts
• Bad PMS
• Painful (dysmenorrhea)
• Mouth Sores
• Skin breakouts
• Irregular
• Missing (Amenorrhea)
• Polycystic Ovaries Syndrome (PCOS)
• Regular UTI’s
• PID (pelvic inflammatory disease)
• Endometriosis or Adenomyosis
Fertility
A very sensitive subject. Some women are not able to conceive, some miscarry, it’s a very emotional roller coaster. A fertility support package comes in a couple of different forms:
Fertility:
• 360 degrees look at both partners lifestyles and how they could potentially impact your chances
• Working with your period to get it at optimum level for fertility
• Nutritional advice
IVF:
• Working with the patient pre-IVF, preparing the body
• During IVF to support mentally as well as physically
Pregnancy:
• Continuing to support depending on both previous and health history
PTST/Anxiety or Depression:
• Support and helping you through any trauma to allow your body and mind to re heal
Menopause
What is great about menopause is we are now talking about it. Some women’s can start in their 20’s and others could be peri menopausal for years. There is a list of symptoms that we can experience but they vary each person:
• Hot flushes
• Itchy vagina
• Memory loss
• Osteoporosis
• Dry eyes
• Hair loss, thinning
• Incontinence
• Increase of UTI’s
• IBS
• Hormonal imbalances
• Depression
• Sore gums
• Night sweats
And many, many more!
How can I help?
I offer a few different types of treatments depending on what you are experiencing. With anything gynae, periods or fertility I like to start by working on the fascia (which is what I specialise in) to ensure that there is no tightness in certain areas and then I will continue with acupuncture (Traditional Chinese Medicine). If you are not good with needles, then I will carry on with the fascial manipulation treatment. I have worked with all types of patients from amenorrhea to fertility, IVF prep and menopausal symptoms. There is no quick fix and no guarantees, but as mentioned earlier body must be looked at in a 360-degree angle to gain an understanding of the how and why. I believe that once we have this knowledge then the work can begin to re set, get your body to the place you need to be and then the rest is up to you.
If you would like to know more or book an appointment, please go to the contact page. 2023 blogs and podcasts are coming to explore all these subjects in more depth!
Sara is a member of the AFN and has taken the relevant fertility and gynaecological courses.
Testimonials
I contacted Sara back in 2020 after having 2 pregnancy losses and I began exploring holistic therapies to help me conceive. I contacted her after a Google search and having spoken with a couple of other acupuncturists, I felt that Sara was the most understanding and took the time to explain how she can help me. She was always clear to manage my expectations and I really appreciated her honesty. Sara has so much knowledge about the body which is the main reason why I continue to see her. She has so much general wellbeing advice to offer that if I have any problem I will always go to her first. I really enjoy my appointments, fall asleep straight away and leave feeling very relaxed. The main reason I came to Sara was to help me conceive but actually she really helped me with my mood and depression which was so unexpected. After struggling with infertility for about 2 and a half years (following the 2 pregnancy losses), an MRI scan confirmed I have early signs of endometriosis. I believe that the continued treatment meant that I had very minimal symptoms of endometriosis and it didn’t really impact my life. At that point we decided to do IVF.
The work that Sara had done up until then meant that I was a lot more relaxed, less anxious and generally back to enjoying to life again, so it was the best time to start IVF. From that point on Sara was dedicated to working alongside my IVF treatment plan. She would move her schedule around to meet my timetable, made herself more flexible – and I really didn’t expect that, I am so grateful for that. If she couldn’t do a particular date, she would arrange for me to see one of her colleagues which was really great. She put so much effort into supporting me alongside my IVF cycle, her support extended beyond the appointments I’d have in her treatment room. She would always check up on me to see how my appointments went and check in on my symptoms. When I started the IVF treatment a lot of her work was to maximise egg collection. I was told by my clinic that my egg reserve wasn’t great so I wasn’t expecting much, but 10 eggs were collected in the end!
I am now about 6 months pregnant after a successful first round of IVF and Sara continues to support me, I saw her every week until 12 weeks and then once a month thereafter. She’s helped with my hyperemesis, anxiety during pregnancy, general aches and pains I was getting and other issues that have appeared from blood tests/scans. If I was too ill to see her, she’d send me a video of the acupressure points to massage to help with my symptoms and she’d always check in every now and again to see how I am.
I always look forward to my appointments and I am so glad that I met Sara. I value her advice and expertise and would always recommend her to friends and family. I look forward to working with her post baby!
S
I started receiving acupuncture and fascial manipulation with Sara in 2021 with the aim of regulating my periods and breaking down a large fibroid in my uterus. The goal was to start trying for a baby in 2022 and I wanted to finally regulate my periods and monthly pain after years of living with endometriosis and fibroid pain. At the end of our sessions together, my monthly cycle was more regulated and shorter (from a 40 day cycle to a 30days) and I was ovulating consistently every month. After stopping treatment in September I was pregnant by January the following year after only 1 month of trying which I strongly believe would not have been possible without the treatment I received from Sara.
I highly recommend her services as she has an amazing understanding of the body, specially issues that can affect women’s health.
C
I came to Sara after over 5 years of struggling to overcome secondary amenorrhea. Various specialist endocrinologist’s advice of cutting down on my exercise and gaining weight didn’t seem to have enough of an impact – although I managed to increase my oestrogen levels somewhat that way, my body still willing to bring back my periods. I had previously had a treatment of acupuncture to help with my IBS issues, which is why I chose acupuncture again.
Sara took detailed notes about my history, my health, with wide ranging questions, helping me to understand there was a much bigger picture at work with my whole system being, essentially, unhappy. We agreed that along with a series of at least 10/12 acupuncture sessions I would also have 4 sessions of fascial manipulation at the beginning of my treatment alongside acupuncture.
I also spoke to Sara at length about ‘damp’ foods, which sounds odd, but is a list of foods that have the potential to create blockages within the system. I didn’t realise how much digestive issues can be closely interlinked with, or impact upon, the menstrual system. I strongly believe moving away from certain foods on the damp food list has also had a big impact on my feeling better on a holistic level.
Fascial Manipulation was uncomfortable, but really worthwhile it also helped enormously with IBS pains. We followed a careful programme of needling that Sara had devised, and then she began to introduce cupping, too.
All the signs were there that my first period would be coming, but I didn’t expect it at all, it was such a surprise because it had felt like nothing would ever, ever work. Once I had my first period cycle we continued with a few more treatments targeted at the different points of a menstrual cycle. My second cycle was 34 days after the first, so not quite at a dead on 4 weeks cycle, but not too far off! I feel very different in myself, it’s hard to pinpoint but I simply feel, post-acupuncture treatment, more fully well in a holistic, whole-self sense. It’s also slightly amazing to know that I’m now operating as a normal female with a fully functioning menstrual system. It’s quite nice to turn around to the doctors who wanted to pump me full of oestrogen tablets and show them that Sara’s much more careful, considered treatment, looking at my health from top to bottom, head to toe, finally did the trick! I’d recommend acupuncture (but mainly acupuncture with Sara) to anyone.
Emily
After having several sessions of acupuncture to try to reduce my hot flushes, I was pleased with the result. I have gone from having several flushes each day, to only feeling slightly warm if I rush about. On the day of writing this review I have not had a single flush. I now don’t spend my days dreading the next one.
Thank you Sara, great job.