Women's Health

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Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for Painful Periods

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Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine for Painful Periods

Painful menstruation is called dysmenorrhea, and refers the pain that occurs around the menstrual, or bleeding, phase of the cycle. There may be other associated symptoms like nausea, fatigue or diarrhea. While many people experience some cramping with their period, some have pain severe enough that it keeps them from doing their regular activities. They may rely on pain relievers and heating pads, but sometimes that is not enough. There are many possible causes for dysmenorrhea that can be explored with a gynecologist - endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, cysts, hormone imbalance, heavy periods, low back injury, past or present infection, pelvic nerve compression, pelvic inflammatory disease.

Why a pill bleed is not a period.

Why a pill bleed is not a period.

File this under things they should have taught us in Sex Ed. It took me a long time to really understand that while on birth control pills, women do not get periods. They do not ovulate, they do not make progesterone, they do not have a cycle.

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Walking through...the final trimester of pregnancy

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Walking through...the final trimester of pregnancy

Third trimester: A.K.A. Get this baby out!


In the third trimester, I continued to rely on regular acupuncture treatments for pretty much all of the things that we went over for trimesters one and two. With an ever growing belly, the aches, pains, and fatigue were constantly shifting and changing. As someone who prioritizes feeling my best, it took a strong commitment to self-care and regular treatment. But the biggest superstar regarding acupuncture and the third trimester, and perhaps one of the things that acupuncture gets the most attention for (even amongst crowds who don’t lean on acupuncture for regular treatment), is acupuncture labor induction, another thing I relied heavily on at the end of my pregnancy.

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Self-Care on the Weekdays

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Self-Care on the Weekdays

While I’m sitting here in the office at 5pm on a Monday, the sun is down and city lights are glowing through the window. It makes me realize that I haven’t taken the time today to give myself any attention.

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Massage Downtown Portland

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Massage Downtown Portland

We are excited to share that we have recently expanded our massage offerings.  We have two therapists at Vitalize and have appointments available on both Saturdays and Sundays.  Massage options include; deep tissue, therapeutic, cranial sacral, pin and stretch, lymphatic drainage, cupping, and scraping are all available.  

Easy Tips to Regain Hormone Balance and Reduce PMS!

Easy Tips to Regain Hormone Balance and Reduce PMS!

When a woman's menstrual cycle is normal, ESTROGEN is the dominant hormone during the first two weeks of the cycle, leading up to ovulation (known as the follicular phase). Estrogen is balanced by PROGESTERONE after ovulation, during the second half of the cycle (known as the luteal phase). Estrogen dominance means a woman can have deficient, normal or excess estrogen, but with little progesterone to balance its effects. When this happens, a woman can experience a wide range of PMS symptoms. Here we will discuss a few ways to harmonize this balance and reduce symptoms.

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Vitalize Community Events

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Vitalize Community Events

In an effort to create a sense of community in what is often a very singular society, we have created a space, opened that space to creatives and thinkers alike, so that they can share their talents and gifts.  With a pole of our general patient base, we determined that weekends are most requested, we have set a calendar of monthly events open for any and all interested.  Our events center around health and healing, with a focus on the mind body connection.  We have purposefully chosen our events to hold space for a diverse area of topics.  These events are free and we hope that members of our community will bring their friends and loved ones to join in.