Women's Health
Premenstrual symptoms and Menstrual cycle support
The health of the menstrual cycle is fundamental to a woman's overall health and problems before, during or after the cycle reflect imbalances of health that should be corrected. If there is pain, mood imbalance, digestive disturbance or headaches in the days leading up to menses, it is indicative that the hormones and circulation are not healthy. Fatigue or headaches during or following the menses is indicative of weakness in the blood and circulation. A healthy menses should be minimally uncomfortable and trigger no change in mood. During the menses a woman should rest more, refrain from strenuous exercise [especially abdominal work], and eat well so that when it is done she feels no weakness or depletion. Acupuncture, therapeutic movement and nutritional support can help remedy these imbalances and prevent illness later in life.
Prenatal and Post Partum care
Prenatal Care
Chinese medicine can provide relief for many conditions that occur in pregnancy - nausea, fatigue, circulatory impairments and sleep disturbance. It can also help the body adapt to your growing baby by managing pain and promoting circulation.
Birth Preparation
Acupuncture can both prepare the body for birth and help initiate labor. Acupuncture and massage can help prepare the pelvis and hips for delivery, while a combination of acupuncture, acupressure and moxibustion are used to initiate labor. Acupuncture can also help to turn breech babies prior to 37 weeks.
Postpartum care
Replenishing the body after childbirth is essential to long term health. Chinese medicine uses several methods of restoring the body to health, including acupuncture, massage, dietary therapy and herbs.
Menopause
In Chinese medical literature, menopause is sometimes described as the recession of the celestial fluids; a drying out of the fluids that facilitate pregnancy. While hormonal shifts are a natural part of life, persistent or severe hot flashes, excessive dryness, thirst or heat are not. Chinese medicine can help mitigate the discomfort that can accompany menopause.
Orthopedics and Pain Management
Caroline Strassberg has focused her research and post graduate training on treating the sinew or muscle merdians of Chinese medicine. She has translated and studied medical texts on the subject and designed courses for acupuncturists. She employs needling techniques to release muscle tension and several forms of massage to relieve and restore the soft tissue of the body. She looks at the whole body and treats not only the symptom, but the underlying causes for chronic pain. She uses adjunct therapies, such as cupping, gua sha and topical herbs to speed healing. Caroline has been studying various forms of therapeutic movment for over 15 years and draws on that knowledge to teach her patients stretches and exercises that they can do at home. She has helped many patients get compete relief from pain, heal from injury ahead of schedule and even avoid surgeries that were thought to be inevitable.