Women's Health | NY Chi Acupuncture

Infertility: The Power of Ritual and Intentional Distancing for Mental Health

April 09, 2025

Struggling to build a family can be one of the most stressful life experiences that a person encounters. One historic study found that the mental health burden of women experiencing infertility was on par with that of cancer or HIV. Research has also shown that stress associated with infertility is one of the main reasons that people drop out of fertility treatments; one study found that stress was the primary reason why insured women ended treatment. While both of these studies were conducted only on women, it’s important to recognize that infertility is stressful for all people.

For this article, I interviewed Dr. Shara Brofman, a licensed clinical psychologist in Westchester County, New York, with extensive training and expertise in reproductive mental health. She was kind enough to share some words of wisdom, which I have paraphrased below. I love Dr. Brofman’s advice- it’s different from what you typically hear. It’s real, compassionate, and eye opening. Read more

Heat Therapy In Chinese Medicine

December 17, 2021

Heat is an essential component of the therapeutic recommendations of Chinese Medicine. In order for our bodies to function optimally, we need warmth and proper circulation. Without it, cold sets in and circulation becomes sluggish. Whenever I meet a patient with signs of internal cold, I recommend a variety of ways they can build heat (also called yang energy) to feel better. Read more

Eating Seeds? Yes! Seed Cycling? Not so much.

July 06, 2021

What is Seed Cycling?

I remember first hearing about seed cycling over 10 years ago as a new acupuncturist. The idea of seed cycling is that you can eat different seeds at different parts of your cycle to optimize your hormone balance. Which seed depends on the unique micronutrients in each one, with certain seeds thought to balance estrogen in the follicular phase (before ovulation) and balance progesterone levels in the luteal phase (after ovulation). The concept of being able to truly use your food as medicine and take control of your own health is really appealing of course! Who wouldn’t want a DIY answer to things like irregular cycles, painful periods, or other hormonal symptoms like premenstrual bloating and acne? Not to mention a little help with fertility?

Seed cycling seems to have surged in popularity on social media, so I wanted to take some time to really dig into the research to see if this is worth doing. Also, as a practitioner of East Asian Medicine (TCM), I am excited to discuss our medicine’s view of seeds and how they’re used, as well as some information on how our medicine would approach hormonal health at different phases of the cycle. Read more

How The Wisdom of Chinese Medicine Can Help You Optimize Your Cycles

January 14, 2020

When your hormones are functioning and coordinating really well, you know it. Your skin is great, there’s no bloating, your periods come on time and are not a big deal. But when things are off balance? It can impact you in a big way.

Below, I’ve outlined what I feel are the most important concepts for helping your hormones to hum along like a well-oiled machine. None of these concepts are particularly groundbreaking, but they are each absolutely vital. Pick one or two suggestions from this article (not everything at once- too overwhelming!), focus on them for a few months then see how it feels. Last of all, show yourself compassion when you’re trying to make shifts in your habits- nobody expects you to adhere to these concepts 100% of the time, and remember that when making changes it’s NORMAL and EXPECTED not to! Shoot for 80% of the time and this will still be a huge change.

Know Your Cycles

Labor Induction Acupuncture: A New Approach

July 13, 2019

It’s a situation I’ve encountered many times: a woman calls me up because she’s been told that if she doesn’t go into labor on her own in a few more days, she’ll be induced. Of course she wants to avoid this, and she has read about trying a “Labor Induction” acupuncture session.

After over 10 years of practice in women’s health and two years of an intensive perinatal acupuncture certificate program, I’ve learned there’s a better way to approach this issue, and it’s backed by studies as well as advice of medical practitioners. Read on to find out what I think is much more effective and relaxing than just this single “Labor Induction” session. I’ll also discuss the situations in which a labor induction treatment might be helpful. Read more

Posts Tagged: Women’s Health