Pathways to Wellness Holds Free Acupuncture Workshop

On April 10, Pathways to Wellness invites women to a free workshop, "Acupuncture and Women's Health," to explore how acupuncture and Chinese herbs can help regulate your menstrual cycle, effectively treat infertility, support pregnancy and lactation, and eliminate menopausal hot flashes and insomnia. The workshop will be led by licensed acupuncturist and board-certified herbalist Sandra Gray.

"I love to prescribe formulas and see women get better," Gray told EDGE. "And this is a do-no-harm medicine with no side effects. It works with the body's own energy, which we will balance. It's not introducing something that not part of the physical system."

At the workshop, Gray will describe the different phases of a woman's health, from menstruation to fertility through menopause, and show the many ways Asian medicine can naturally help with areas where women might have health issues.

"Particularly with acupuncture, it's just working with the body's own energy flow to move energy where it's blocked or deficient," Gray explained. "It's really helping the body restore its own balance. It's such great medicine."

Gray should know; she was first introduced to acupuncture after she was involved in a car accident. She said she felt out of balance, despite the fact that doctors said nothing was wrong with her. Back then, she had a corporate job that tethered her to an office all day.

She soon realized that Asian medicine was what interested her. Gray went back to school for her Master's degree, and learned the many natural ways to use this medicine to help women. She said they are better, in her opinion, than the ways of Western medicine.

"Women's hormonal balances have been manipulated by Western medicine," said Gray. "If a girl has a heavy period and she's young, doctors often put her on birth control, which keeps the body from ovulating. Her hormones will think she's pregnant, even though she's only 13. If she were to come to Asian medicine, the problem would be resolved, not just manipulated with hormones."

In cases of infertility, women may have been on The Pill for many years. Asian medicine can work with that balance, rather than going through Invitro Fertilization's extreme hormone manipulation.

And during menopause, many women are given hormone replacement therapy, only to discover side effects like breast and cervical cancer. This has led to a decline in doctors prescribing this therapy -- but women's symptoms of hot flashes, irritability and insomnia can persist. Chinese medicine can help with this, via a sophisticated blend of 20 herbs.

Best of all, Asian medicine is a relatively safe and inexpensive way to resolve many problems women face.

"This is something that you can try first relatively inexpensively, then if it doesn't work for you, you can always go to pharmaceuticals," said Gray. "I mean, why not try acupuncture for back pain before you go through something like invasive back surgery?"

"Acupuncture and Women's Health" will be presented free of charge from 6-7 on Thursday, April 10 at the South End Community Health Center, 1601 Washington Street, 2nd Floor Conference Room in Boston. For information and to reserve your spot, call 617-859-3036, ext. 0, or visit www.pathwaysboston.org