My name is Rebecca, I’m 33 years of age and a Brit residing in Sydney, Australia. I work as a project manager at a NFP organisation, a job I love! In recent years, I’ve found myself interested in holistic medicines and have been researching these practices. This was mainly due to growing up on pharmaceutical drugs for ongoing sinus problems, ear infections etc. I wanted to explore this area to gain control of my health now and moving into the future. I ended up discovering Traditional Chinese Medicine, which was invaluable for subsequent menstrual problems.
My menstrual issues led to physical imbalances, manifesting as pains around ovulation, acne around my jaw area and fatigue. These symptoms started with shooting pains around ovulation, not painful enough to limit my daily life but noticeable. They progressed with fatigue and skin outbreaks around my jaw area which my acupuncturist informed me is hormonal.
I didn’t go to a GP about my issues (as I would be told to go onto the pill). Instead, I went to my acupuncturist, spoke through the symptoms and an action plan was put in place. This was a collaboration between my acupuncturist and I. I felt like I was involved with every step of the process and what I could do to help myself. The things I could do involved involved diet, meditation, movement, and conscious thoughts.
I ignored the shooting pains around ovulation for a few months, thinking it was just a ‘phase’. For my skin issues, I purchased a whole new skincare routine, new products etc. I also looked at my diet and incorporated healthier fats, oily fish and vegetables. They helped my fatigue and my skin to a certain extent. My skin issues got worse after my new skincare routine, which led me to seek out advice from my acupuncturist. I’ve been seeing my acupuncturist for some years now, for relaxation purposes rather than anything else, so thought that this would be a great opportunity to get advice.
My treatment journey began with fortnightly acupuncture sessions and a Chinese dietary supplement called ‘Dang Gui Shao Yao San’ – which I needed to take daily. Combining the acupuncture with this dietary supplement, I noticed the shooting pains disappear around ovulation. In fact, I had very ‘easy’ menstrual cycles (no PMS, no cramping when on my period). I must admit, the dietary supplement doesn’t taste great, but the benefits I see are totally worth it!
I noticed that my skin was still breaking out and mentioned this was a pain point for me to my acupuncturist. She gave me a skin treatment (using needles and gua sha) and also prescribed another dietary supplement called ‘Si Miao Yong An Tang’. This was to be taken on top of ‘Dang Gui Shao Yao San’. Within a couple of weeks of taking both dietary supplements, my skin had improved to the point of no outbreaks! I was so happy and surprised that a holistic medicinal treatment could help me so much in such little time.
Due to work commitments, the past few months have been hard for me to get my regular acupuncture appointments. However, I’ve been religiously taking my herbs and getting back into my regular sessions which have been such a help.
For me moving forward, I’d always speak to my acupuncturist regarding any health issues I have from the get-go, rather than a GP. The reason being is that I want to investigate more holistic approaches to my health and limit any pharmaceuticals.
I know I’m not the only one who experienced these problems. Menstrual issues are extremely common and Traditional Chinese Medicine worked wonders for me. My advice for those looking to take a more holistic approach is to take that first step. I’ve never felt more supported and cared for by my acupuncturist. We live in an already toxic world and if there’s one element that we can control, it’s what we consume and put into our bodies.
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