Holistic Endometriosis Care for Women in Boulder, Colorado
Endometriosis care by a fellow Endo Warrior, someone who truly gets it and has dedicated most of her career to understanding what works. You won’t have to educate me about your diagnosis or convince me that your symptoms matter. You are worthy of wise, whole-body care that you can feel great about.
Surgery Isn't Always Where the Story Ends
Excision surgery is the current gold standard and it can be life-changing for some women. But it's not the end-all, be-all. Unfortunately, removing the lesions doesn't necessarily mean every symptom disappears or that you no longer need support afterward.
Many women continue to experience pain, painful ovulation, digestive issues, fatigue, bladder symptoms, or other inflammatory and hormonal symptoms even after surgery. That's where I believe whole-body care and Chinese medicine can play an important role.
Excision surgery removes the visible lesions, but it doesn't address everything that may be contributing to ongoing pain, inflammation, immune dysfunction, hormonal symptoms, or other symptoms that persist after surgery.
If you still find yourself on the bathroom floor hurled over, vomiting, shaking, feeling hot or cold, and in and out of consciousness, and still in severe pain after surgery (ugh, why didn’t that work??!)- you aren’t alone. In fact, this was me over 3 years ago after having surgery with a “Nancy’s Nook” excision specialist. The first period post surgery almost sent me to the hospital ( I couldn't stop vomiting from severe pain (…sorry if that’s TMI but we don’t do that here). I reached out at 2 months post-op then 3, then 6 months later wondering if I was responding typically to the surgery- to which the nurse replied that most patients had relief by now.
I felt awful, blamed myself and my body, and also developed lots of autoimmune type symptoms post surgery- joint pain, low grade fevers, bladder issues, recurring UTI’s, body aches, positive ANA with a high titer. My hands would swell, my heart would race, and I had leg pain, ovulation pain, and severe period pain. There were very few days I actually felt good-which wreaked havoc on my mental health as well.
After reaching my rock bottom, I decided to embark on a journey to feel better. I always lived a healthy lifestyle, and avoided endocrine disruptors like plastics, toxic skin-care and cleaning products- so this work went deeper.
I am not in the business of selling false hope to people suffering with a chronic, debilitating and complex disease. But if you are willing to put in work with diet, lifestyle, herbal medicine, acupuncture, and address emotional health- things can get better. There are often other ways to address severe, intense pain without relying on opioids or medications that may worsen already existing stomach issues. I know this in my core because i’ve done it myself. I definitely do not claim to be healed of endometriosis- but my quality of life is 1000x better. I no longer need strong prescription meds to take away my pain, my gut issues are resolved, I no longer have leg pain or ovulation pain, my cycles are regular and I have healthy regular ovulation. The best part? I have WAY more energy to do what I love.
WHOLE-BODY, HOLISTIC CARE FOR ENDOMETRIOSIS
Together, we can work on:
reducing your reliance on OTC pain killers or stronger prescription pain meds and reducing pain associated with your menstrual bleed
reducing or resolving ovulation pain
reducing or resolving joint pain, mid-back pain, shoulder pain or chest discomfort
eliminating or reducing leg pain
resolving or reducing gut issues- acid reflux, sticky stools, constipation, chronic diarrhea, inner ear pressure
supporting healthy iron status and addressing fatigue
regulating your cycles so they are predictable and every 28-31 days. This can mean- shortening your longer cycles or lengthening your cycle so you aren’t bleeding every 21-25 days.
supporting healthy ovulation and fertility, preparing the body to conceive
The Process
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Book Initial Intake
Together, we discuss your specific symptoms, your health history and all things period and cycle related. Then, we talk about what’s realistic, and create a treatment plan that matches your goals. Working with hormones takes time. For most patients- plan for 3-4 months minimum of work together.
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Weekly Check-In's
You’re part of the process! This is not a passive treatment. You have to be willing to show up and be willing to make diet, lifestyle changes and may need custom recommended supplements, custom herbal medicine prescriptions, AND/OR regular acupuncture.
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Experience Relief
Over time, symptoms may resolve or reduce. You notice the leg pain you usually have is no longer there, and ovulation and menstruation is a much easier process. Results are not immediate but often long lasting with regular maintenance and a healthy diet and lifestyle.
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Maintain Results
Once you've reached your initial goals, we can reduce treatment frequency and determine what level of ongoing support makes sense for you. In general, It is important to maintain your health so that progress isn’t lost over time. You'll leave with practical tools you can continue using at home.
Acupuncture and Chinese medicine for Endometriosis FAQ
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YES! Acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine can be used as part of a comprehensive approach to managing endometriosis symptoms. Treatment may focus on leg pain, painful periods and ovulation, digestive symptoms, fatigue, cycle irregularities, stress, and other symptoms that can accompany endometriosis.
Chinese medicine looks at the individual pattern of symptoms rather than treating every person with endometriosis exactly the same way. Your treatment plan is customized to your symptoms, health history, cycle, and goals.
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Yes. Excision surgery can be an important part of endometriosis care, but some women continue to experience symptoms after surgery. Acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, nutrition, and lifestyle support may provide additional tools for managing persistent symptoms and supporting your overall health.
My own experience with persistent symptoms after excision surgery is a big part of why I do this work.
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Treatment may focus on symptoms including menstrual pain, painful ovulation, leg pain, chest discomfort, digestive problems, anxiety, fatigue, cycle irregularity, musculoskeletal aches and pain, and other symptoms that may fluctuate throughout your cycle.
We will look at your symptoms as a whole rather than treating your period pain in isolation.
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Yes! I also work with my patients on diet and lifestyle, tips for increasing fiber, and other ways in which we can solve endometriosis related digestive discomfort. Depending on your individual symptoms, we may work on issues such as constipation, diarrhea, reflux, bloating, stool changes, or digestive symptoms that worsen around your period. I always recommend diet changes first; however, custom Chinese herbs can also be incredibly effective for alleviating digestive discomfort.
Because digestive symptoms can have many possible causes, I also consider when additional medical or gastrointestinal evaluation is appropriate.
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Holistic care can be used to support women with endometriosis who are trying to conceive. Depending on your situation, treatment may focus on cycle regularity and ovulation support,, stress reduction, nutrition, and decreasing inflammation and supporting overall health while you are trying naturally or pursuing fertility treatment.
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No! But it is important to have imaging and blood work if you have been having severe pain to rule out other possible causes of pain. Some women come to me with a confirmed diagnosis, while others have symptoms strongly suggestive of endometriosis but have not yet received a formal diagnosis or had surgery.
If your symptoms warrant further evaluation, I can help refer you to an appropriate medical provider and identify what questions to bring to your medical provider.
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Possibly. I'll be honest with you about what I think is worth changing and what isn't. This isn't about creating a ridiculously restrictive “endometriosis diet” or expecting you to live a perfect lifestyle.
We look at your current habits, symptoms, and goals and identify the changes most likely to be useful for you. You are an active participant in this process, not just someone who comes in for acupuncture once a week.
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It’s possible! Sometimes custom Chinese herbal medicine is more effective at addressing endometriosis than just acupuncture. Chinese herbs are medicine that you would take everyday & multiple times a day and Acupuncture is only usually done about 1-2/x week at most due to time restrictions. For severe and complex cases I highly recommend Chinese herbal medicine and that is also what helped me the most besides nervous system regulation and somatic therapy practices.
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