Areas of Expertise
Whole-Body Hormone Care Through East Asian Medicine
For painful periods, PMS, PMDD, PCOS, hormonal acne, and irregular cycles — treated as expressions of a connected system, not isolated symptoms.
They're responding to something deeper.
Most women who come in say the same thing: "my hormones are out of balance." And yes, that's probably true. But when we look closer, we almost always uncover that hormones are responding to another system — stress, poor sleep, nervous system dysregulation, blood sugar instability, inflammation, digestion.
In East Asian medicine, we don't separate hormones from digestion, from the nervous system, from sleep. They're all connected. No system is silent. Each one affects the others.
So instead of asking "how do we fix the hormones?" I'm asking "why is the body expressing in this way?" That shift changes everything. Because instead of chasing symptoms, we're supporting the systems that regulate the hormones themselves. We're getting to the root.
If your symptoms don't have a clean diagnostic label — you just know something's off — that's the majority of patients I see. The work isn't diagnosis-dependent. It's pattern-dependent.
Every treatment starts with understanding your unique pattern — your cycle, digestion, sleep, stress, emotions, energy, movement, constitution, relationships. Sometimes even the question: do you like what you do for work?
Treatment combines acupuncture, lifestyle recommendations (which includes nutrition), and when appropriate, herbs. I also incorporate bodywork — cupping or gua sha — where it supports the treatment plan.
This is what I call becoming rooted. When your nervous system, digestion, sleep, and hormones are more resilient, your body works with you instead of against you.
If you're on hormonal birth control, or working with an endocrinologist, gynecologist, or fertility specialist, that's absolutely okay. I practice alongside these medicines.
A woman needs to decide what's best for her. My work supports whatever you're already doing — whether that's birth control, IVF protocols, HRT, or medical management of a specific diagnosis. We're not choosing between paths. We're adding depth to the one you're already on.
My favorite medicine is collaborative medicine.
She's usually juggling several: maybe painful periods, hormonal acne, irregular cycles. She's exhausted. Anxious. Not sleeping well. She feels like she's tried everything.
As we work together, the whole picture starts to shift. Her cycles become more predictable. Cramping decreases. Sleep improves. Energy improves. Stress feels more manageable.
The outcome I hear most often, in her own words: "I feel more like myself again. I feel like I can handle all these things."
That's really the point. We're building the body's resilience — not just treating a symptom.
There are absolutely times when further testing is essential. If any of these are showing up, work with a primary care physician, OB/GYN, or reproductive endocrinologist alongside (or before) starting acupuncture:
My favorite medicine is collaborative medicine. If you're already working with a specialist, keep them. This work runs alongside.
Just because something is common doesn't mean it's healthy.
That's especially true with painful periods, severe PMS, hormonal acne, and feeling exhausted before your cycle. These are messages from the body — not character flaws.
Our cycle — I've been saying this for ten years — is one of our body's vital signs. When we start listening to it instead of pushing through, we often uncover opportunities to improve not just hormone health, but also energy, mood, sleep, digestion, fertility, and long-term resilience.
That's what East Asian medicine is about. Helping our bodies return to their natural rhythm and to homeostasis — able to handle the everyday stresses without breaking down every month.
Not usually. Hormones are almost always responding to something deeper — stress, poor sleep, nervous system dysregulation, blood sugar instability, inflammation, digestion. Instead of chasing symptoms, we support the systems that help regulate hormones in the first place. That's the medicine, and how I work.
No. If you're on hormonal birth control, or working with an endocrinologist or gynecologist, that's absolutely okay. I practice alongside these medicines. It's not either-or. It's both-and.
It depends on your patterns and how long your body has been compensating. Most patients start weekly for 6 to 12 weeks, then we reassess. Hormone work is paced for the cycle — changes compound over months, not weeks.
Yes. Both are on the list I regularly support, alongside painful periods, hormonal acne, irregular cycles, PMS, and postpartum hormonal shifts. The treatment plan is personalized because every woman's underlying pattern is different.
That's one of the most common patterns I see. Lab ranges are broad, and 'normal on paper' doesn't always match 'feels right in the body.' We look at the whole picture — cycle patterns, sleep, energy, digestion, mood — not just the test result.
A 70-minute first visit, including a comprehensive intake covering your cycle, digestion, sleep, stress, emotions, energy, movement, and constitution. Treatment includes acupuncture, lifestyle recommendations, and when appropriate, herbs and bodywork like cupping or gua sha.
Book Wellness Acupuncture — my primary session for hormone care, stress and sleep, and the connected systems this page describes.
Written by
Nina Jung, L.Ac.
Licensed Acupuncturist · Women's Health, Fertility, Hormones, Strength Coaching
Last updated
This page describes my clinical approach to hormone health through East Asian medicine and acupuncture. It is supportive care, not a substitute for endocrinology, gynecology, or the medical management of specific diagnoses. Continue working with your medical team alongside this work.
Read more about Nina →When the body is rooted, hormones follow.