Get Help with Hormones & Fertility
Hey Lady!
Do you feel like you spend ¼-½ of each month (or more) dealing with symptoms related to your menstrual cycle or hormone balance?
I’m Brie Wieselman, I’ve been helping people with hormone-related symptoms, like yours, in clinic for the last 15 years!
Keep reading and I’ll show you exactly what to do (and not do) to finally finally balance your hormones for good!
PMS, bloating, pain, fatigue, insomnia, chocolate/carb/wine cravings, heavy periods, periods that are irregular or M.I.A, acne, mood swings, and even hot flashes…
No one wants the hassle of hormone-hell, but the silver lining to your hormonal storm-cloud is that your body is on your side–annoying and painful symptoms are actually it’s way of trying to tell you exactly what it needs in order to get feel balanced for good!
If you’re like most of the women I work with, hormone related symptoms like these take up too much of your time and attention, monthly or daily– they can really cramp your style! Newsflash!: being born a woman does not mean you are destined to put up with feeling horrible!
You’ve probably tried Ibuprofen, various herbs and supplements you read about, The Pill, and maybe even over the counter progesterone cream…but none of these did much more than act as a temporary bandaid for your problem, if they helped at all.
You shouldn’t have to own 2 different sizes of jeans due to water retention before your period. Your relationship shouldn’t be on the rocks half the month–(let’s face it, being irritable and lashing out just isn’t very sexy!–been there!)
Your period shouldn’t feel like the Great Flood, or go missing, or cause you pop a Mount Vesuvius on your chin, or hot flash like Global Warming is personal issue, or any other natural disaster.
Wouldn’t it Be Amazing if You Could:
- Get rid of bloating, PMS, breast tenderness, and mood swings for good?
- Stop popping pills that harm your body and know exactly what steps to take to heal your body instead?
- Actually look forward to your period coming, knowing that it will be pain-free, easy, and be a time of heightened creativity and intuition? (Yes, this really is a thing!)
- Reinvent your relationship to your body, so that you can live inspired, doing the things you love, without worry or frustration that your symptoms might limit you?
The 3 Approaches that Never Work
(even though these are what every woman tries)
1. Taking The Pill to Manage Symptoms.
The first (and usually the only) thing that doctors offer women who complain of symptoms ranging from missing or irregular periods, to acne, to wicked PMS, to heavy periods, is Birth Control Pills.
But the thing that most women don’t know (and certainly aren’t told about before being prescribed it) is that The Pill doesn’t actually balance hormones– it just suppresses them and replaces them with synthetic substitutes that don’t have any of the health preserving benefits that your own, real hormones have to offer.
A few facts:
- You don’t get a period on the pill, you get a “withdrawl bleed”–your hormones are not actually cycling.
- Synthetic progesterone (aka Progestin) is NOT the same as the real deal! It actually mimics testosterone in the body and can make imbalances worse.
- The pill increases risk of developing depression by 80%
- The pill significantly increases your risk of heart attack and stroke.
- The pill raises your lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.
- The pill Promotes Candida overgrowth and gut dysbiosis.
- The pill comes with side effects like water weight gain and a sex drive that has left the building–great way to do its job!
2. Relying on OTC or Prescription Painkillers.
If you are doubled over in pain and desperate for anything that will just make it stop, you’ll take just about anything. Even less severe menstrual cramps can put a damper on your day (or 4) rendering you less productive, less social, and glued to netflix with your hot water bottle, just waiting it out.
Many women have that bottle of anti-inflammatory painkillers (think Aspirin, Advil, Motrin, Ibuprofen, etc) within reach and ready to go at a moment’s notice.
Often, these drugs will take the edge off the pain or get rid of it temporarily–but they aren’t a permanent fix.
And they actually come with some pretty nasty side effects that can really disrupt your health. NSAIDS like aspirin, Aleve, and Ibuprofen can all irritate the gut, promoting ulcers, gastric reflux (GERD), gastritis, and promoting leaky gut. And Tylenol, if not used properly, can cause liver damage, especially with high or repeat dosages.
And the worst part is that using these drugs creates a vicious cycle for women with hormone imbalance– studies show that repeat use of NSAIDS at period time can inhibit ovulation and reduce progesterone levels leading to more hormone imbalance, and potentially causing serious problems for fertility.
Overall, if strong pelvic pain is a part of your life on the regular, it’s a sign of too much inflammation, and these drugs only dampen the symptoms.
3. Using Over-the-Counter Progesterone Cream (Wild Yam)
If you’ve done some Googling to try to find a natural solution for your symptoms, you’ve probably read some blogs that suggest trying Natural Progesterone Cream.
It’s true that If your progesterone levels are low relative to your estrogen, you might have symptoms like: heavy periods, spotting, menstrual cramps, water retention, constipation before your period, headaches, insomnia, and watch-out-here-I-come mood swings.
So it’s logical that supplementing with progesterone makes sense.
And, it’s also true that in clinic, while supporting hormone balance with steps like nutrition, lifestyle, stress management, I may also choose to support a woman’s hormonal health with bioidentical hormones temporarily.
But progesterone creams are not the way to go. Here’s why:
In order to absorb through the skin, progesterone creams are fat-soluble. This leads to a build-up of hormones under the skin that later on can dump into the blood all at once, disrupting the natural hormone feedback loops.
Hundreds of women have told me that they started progesterone cream and thought they had found the miracle answer to their problems…for about 3 months, until all the symptoms came back, often bringing a few new problems back with them!
What You Need to Do Instead, to Get Better Hormone Balance Now
Eat hormone balancing and detox-supporting foods
Remove processed sugar and alcohol if you haven’t already
Find the Root Causes of your hormone symptoms
While the above steps can help you feel better NOW, ultimately, to solve hormone imbalane symptoms for good, you have to identify and treat the root causes.
Most women with hormone issues have several of the 7 common root causes (outlined below), that if addressed thoroughly, stop the symptoms in their tracks.
Often, women feel better after just identifying these root causes because they finally know what exactly is causing their pain.
The relief that women feel when they connect a test result to the pain and symptoms they have been feeling in their body is liberating.
In my 15 years of practice, I’ve seen time and time again that if we identify the sources of your hormone symptoms and PMS, we can treat them and the issue is resolved for good.
This same approach is what I used to heal my own hormone problems as well!
It’s All About Fixing Your Hormonal Issues at the Root
The key to healing gut and hormone symptoms lies in addressing the causes, not just band-aiding the symptoms. This means that it isn’t usually a quick fix.
Identifying all the root causes and addressing them can be difficult and confusing if you’re trying to do it on your own.
Partnering with a trained, experienced practitioner can get you results faster and save you lots of frustration.
An in-depth health history and the right lab testing are the essential first steps on your journey to better health.
Many of my clients have 3-5 simultaneous root causes that aren’t easy to identify by just discussing the symptoms they are experiencing.
The 7 most common root causes that I see are:
- Other hormone imbalances: Like Adrenal Fatigue (HPA Axis Dysregulation) or Thyroid Hormone Imbalance
- Dysbiosis and gut infections: parasites, bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), and candida/fungal overgrowth.
- Detox Issues: from pesticides, chemical exposure, heavy metals, mold, genetic methylation issues, and toxins from the gut.
- Stress
Nutrient Deficiencies: especially zinc, magnesium, B-Vitamins, and Omega Fatty Acids - Leaky gut
Health issues are almost always a case of “the perfect storm”, rather than one specific cause.
It’s the norm, rather than the exception, that someone might have female hormone imbalance, a parasite, nutrient deficiencies, and adrenal fatigue going on all at the same time–I certainly did!
Want 1-on-1 help identifying which of these 7 root causes might be causing your symptoms?
In this FREE Root Cause Analysis Session you will meet with my assistant.
During this 15-minute call, my health coach will pay close attention to your story.
You’ll come away with a good idea of which 2-4 of the most common Functional Medicine root causes are likely contributing to your health concerns.
After the call, if we feel that we can help you, the next step is to meet with me for a 1-Hour Initial Case History Review, where I’ll do a deep dive with you to get your full health history.
Based on my analysis of your case, I will recommend specific labs to confirm your root causes, and, based on the results, will customize a 3-12 month plan to help you fix them for good.
Who this is NOT for:
- You just want me to prescribe hormone replacement, and don’t want to look any deeper. I will not just put you on replacement hormones and mislead you to believe that I think that will solve your problems.
- You’re looking for a quick fix–we’ve been trained to think we go to the doc once in a while when we feel sick. Functional Medicine is about lifestyle change, so success requires a series of regular appointments, for period of time, to create a health shift. Length of treatment depends on the severity and duration of your health issues, and may range from 4-18 months. Once you’re better, you’re welcome back any time on an as-needed basis.
- You’re not willing to spend money on labs, supplements, or medical appointments. (Labs may cost $350-1500 initially, and supplements average $200-400/mo depending on the severity or how long you’ve had your health problem).
- You are not willing to make changes– (in diet, lifestyle, belief/thought process, sleep patterns, exercise, relationships, learn new communication skills). In ancient time, it was known that health was based on how the patient lived, not on what the doctor did. This is not an “I fix you” modality–it’s only as effective as the steps you take!
Who this is RIGHT for:
- You’re committed to cultivating inspired health– We’re committed to getting you results, and you need to be too! We form close relationships and care deeply about each person that is a member of our practice. We only work with clients who are ready to take responsibility for creating their health. This does not mean that you need to do everything perfectly, it simply means that you need to be ready to take the steps needed to heal, so that you can live the life you want to live. I may suggest changes that challenge your beliefs about what creates health….please come with an open mind.
- You are comfortable meeting via video consult, working with practitioner from a distance rather than in person, in an office. All sessions are completed over the internet using Zoom, a secure, private video chat platform. If you are in Santa Cruz, CA, we can see you in person at our local office–local appointments are limited.
- You want a skilled and seasoned practitioner who listens deeply and actually researches your case (rather than relying on one-size-fits-all protocols). We love the detective work. Many of our favorite cases are the ones where a client comes to us after having seen many other practitioners. We love to dive deep to search for what may have been overlooked or not yet been discovered.
Before you schedule:
- We have limited room for new clients, so troubleshooting sessions are for those who are serious about working with me (or another practitioner in my practice) and want to be considered for a spot.
- We do not accept insurance for services or products . Certain lab companies that we work with may provide an insurance option for some lab tests; reimbursement is dependant on your particular policy.
When your hormones are balanced, your body can, and should be: your best business partner, your vehicle for enjoying life to the fullest, and a source of pleasure! This is my vision for you, babe!
Looking forward to meeting you!
Brie Wieselman, L.Ac
About Brie Wieselman, LAc, MTCM
Brie Wieselman, LAc, is passionate about empowering women with the knowledge and tools to reverse their health concerns so that they can focus their energy on positively impacting the world around them, in their own unique way.
Using her programs that integrate Functional Medicine and Chinese Medicine approaches, she has helped hundreds of clients living anywhere from Dubai and New Zealand to California, providing them with a personalized road map for understanding and transforming their health.
She currently practices virtually at www.BrieWieselman.com, and is the director of her integrative clinic in Santa Cruz, CA.
What People Say
“I could feel something else was really off internally but nothing was coming up in tests from my regular western doctors, which was only stressing me out more. Thanks to the incredible Brie, I finally have some answers and thankfully they are all very manageable/treatable. And guess what…it all stems from my gut! This has made it difficult for my body to eliminate the already high amounts of hormones I produce, likely making my acne and fatigue much worse. I’m just happy and relieved to have some explanations after months of doctors telling me I’m perfectly healthy, while I continue to feel like s@#t! I feel like I’m finally on the right track toward recovering and regaining my energy.”
~Polly B.
“I wanted to tell you how grateful I am to have found you. I had felt terrible for so long and had seen various doctors and tried many different things. I was in a place where I thought I needed to accept my new normal of feeling terrible and anxious all the time. I know I told you before, but I truly feel like a weight has been lifted and I am myself again. I haven’t felt this good in over 8 years! Thank you for your kindness, patience, and expertise. I am forever grateful.”
~Ashley V.
“My period went missing for 2 years, I had adrenal fatigue, and my gut was a wreck. I was just not getting better despite all the testing and protocols I had tried. Conventional medicine had failed me on these issues, and I wanted to work with an expert female functional practitioner who would understand me, teach me and give me the exact tools I needed to get my body back. With Brie’s guidance, within months my gut was a million times better, my hormones had improved and my period was back! I was feeling the best I had in years and it wasn’t a fluke this time, it was the real deal. No setbacks. Later in 2016 I consulted with Brie again on fertility, as my husband and I desired to start a family. Long story short, I am currently pregnant and due to have my first child in January.”
~T.P.
Whether you’re looking for help with your gut, your hormones, or both, our team of practitioners work together to treat the WHOLE you – guiding you to a healthier mind, body, and spirit day by day.