Lauren Curtain Throws Light On Healing Effects Of Chinese Medicine On Menstrual Health Problems
Our audience is keen to read stories of women creating a difference in the world. Tell us in detail about yourself and the work you do.
My name is Lauren, I am a Chinese medicine practitioner and I focus on supporting women optimizing their menstrual health and fertility. My own journey with my menstrual health hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows. I have experienced debilitating period pain and PMS symptoms myself and know first hand just how much impact a problematic period can have on your day to day life. When I started studying Chinese medicine, a whole new world and attitude to health opened up to me. Chinese medicine approaches women’s health in such a unique (and successful) way that I knew it was what I wanted to devote my life to. I wanted to support women with their menstrual health and help them get rid of the needless suffering month after month. So that is what I set out to do once I finished my degree. I dived straight into focusing on supporting women with their reproductive health and fertility and years later haven’t looked back!
In brief, tell our readers about supporting women with their menstrual health and fertility issues.
While I was completing my Chinese medicine studies, I knew I wanted to work specifically with women. I knew women were suffering from their periods, I had been there myself! I knew that I could help provide answers, relief, and support to women with Chinese medicine as I had been witnessing the positive impact it can have. What I didn’t anticipate was how high the demand would be once I graduated and started seeing my own patients.
This is a global issue. Worldwide women are experiencing symptomatic periods such as pelvic pain, breast tenderness, digestive issues, mood swings, headaches/migraines, acne, nausea, heavy periods, long cycles, short cycles, no period at all (amenorrhoea) and conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, ovarian cysts and infertility.
What many people don’t know is that period pain, PMS and menstrual disorders are not normal, they are overwhelmingly common, but not normal. Whenever symptoms arise, it is a flashing warning sign from the body something deeper is going on internally. Underlying causes such as blood sugar regulation issues, inflammation, impaired estrogen metabolism, low progesterone, high testosterone, low iron, thyroid issues, nutritional gaps, structural positioning of the uterus and scar tissue & adhesions are examples of underlying factors that can create an environment for symptomatic periods and menstrual cycles.
Menstrual cycles and periods were not designed to be a painful and awful experience, if they are, it means your health needs some attention and support. In Chinese medicine, there is a saying that the period should come and go with ease. This is achievable for the majority of women with the right support and care. When menstrual symptoms are present, it’s not just an issue with the reproductive system, it’s a reflection of whole-body health. None of the systems in the bodywork in isolation of each other, they are all interconnected and the reproductive system is no different from this.
My work revolves around educating women on what normal, healthy menstrual cycles & fertility looks like, how to tell if you may have deviated from that, what potential driving causes may be underlying this and how to help the body self-correct.
What are the different methods/techniques you use to treat your patients?
I like to pull from both the east and west when treating patients. As a Chinese medicine practitioner, I utilize the modalities that fall under the umbrella of Chinese medicine such as acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, cupping, gua sha, moxibustion, diet, and lifestyle therapy to help bring the body into balance and optimal health. We have lots of tools in our belts as Chinese medicine practitioners! I also fully embrace western medicine and go through blood results with patients and assess their lab work. I believe in a collaborative approach when helping patients achieve their health goals and love working alongside integrative GPs, naturopaths, IVF specialists, pelvic floor physios, uterine massage therapists and more!
What do you mean when you say “You emphasis on educating your patients”.
For me, education is key when working with patients with their health. They need to understand what the ‘why’ is behind their health problem as usually, no one has taken the time to sit down and explain to them exactly what is actually going on with their health. There is such a massive gap in education for women understanding their bodies and their menstrual cycles. Explaining to women of all ages what ovulation is and how it works isn’t an uncommon occurrence in the clinic. We just don’t get taught this type of stuff growing up. Understanding what your menstrual cycle actually is, what influences it, what makes it healthy, what can make it unhealthy and how to understand when you’re fertile from when you’re not fertile is such empowering information every woman has the right to know. Knowing this type of information can save years of suffering from painful, symptomatic periods as there is always an underlying root cause of driving symptoms. When we can identify and address the root cause, a world of difference can be made to someone’s experience of their period, menstrual cycle and fertility. Having the education and understanding of what is actually going on, and what you can do yourself to help support your menstrual health is invaluable.
What is your take on women empowerment? ‘Women supporting women’ what’s your opinion on that?
I am a massive supporter and cheerleader for women. I love that women supporting women is gaining so much momentum. For far too long women have been pitted against each other, we are taught to see other women as competition growing up rather than an ally or a sister. And the result of this is it gets us nowhere. We are always stronger together and absolutely nothing bad comes from women supporting other women and lifting each other up! We have made so much progress, we still have a long way to go, but I am so confident the more examples we have of women genuinely supporting one another, the more of a ripple effect and global impact we can create.
Share your strategy behind co-relating wellness and social media.
There’s no denying social media is massive. I use my social media as a way to help share education and information to women in easily accessible and digestible ways. At this point I have had hundreds of women contact me through social media sharing the stories of their experiences with their reproductive health, asking questions about their periods and fertility and eager to learn and get their hands on more information. Using social media in this way helps to fill in the gaps in education about our bodies most of us didn’t get growing up. So we look elsewhere.
There are thousands of health practitioners on social media now sharing their messages ready and eager to help educate people about their health and their bodies. I consider it an amazing starting place to gather information, but of course, not doing everything that you read online. Nothing can replace the level of care and attention your health gets when you work one on one with a health practitioner that can thoroughly review your case.
What is your goal as a doctor for your patients?
When I work with patients my goal is to help connect the dots to their health issues and help them understand why an issue may have arisen in the first place. Symptom management is important to help give people relief, but root cause solutions are where the magic is. My goal with my patients is to identify what the underlying factor/s are driving a health concern and create a plan to treat it and prevent it from returning.
What else can we see coming from you in the near future?
In conjunction with continuing to work with patients one on one in clinical practice, I am focusing my efforts on education. Women are lacking information and resources on how to care for their menstrual health and fertility. This year I am focusing on doing just that and providing information in an easily accessible way online for women worldwide. So stay tuned over the coming months!
Where can our audience find your work?
You can find me on Instagram at @laurencurtain where I share daily information all on things women’s health and fertility, or check out my website www.laurencurtain.com
