Women’s Natural Health
Sutter Center for Integrative Holistic Health
Many health issues specific to women are well treated using natural methods that can serve as alternatives or complements to conventional Western medicine.
Common issues include premenstrual syndrome, menstrual cycle regulation, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, fibroids, postpartum depression, lactation problems, menopausal symptoms, and osteoporosis.
Using herbs, nutrition, nutritional supplements, lifestyle management, stress management, Qigongs, and natural hormones can be quite effective in alleviating, curing, or preventing many of these conditions.
Pelvic floor rehabilitation is also a beneficial therapy in woman’s natural health. It is a specialized physical therapy approach that helps to reduce pain as well as restore strength and function to the muscles of the pelvic floor and the pelvic organs such as the bowel and bladder. It may involve muscle strengthening as well as relaxation, and can be useful for chronic pelvic pain, impaired sexual function, and elimination disorders, including incontinence as well as difficulty emptying the bowels or bladder. Physical therapy hands-on techniques for pelvic floor disorders include internal and external soft tissue mobilization and myofascial release; trigger point massage; visceral and joint manipulation; and pelvic floor muscle retraining with EMG biofeedback. Pelvic floor physical therapy may also include modalities such as ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and cold laser.
Practitioners
Maxine Barish-Wreden, M.D.
Ron Cotterel, M.D., M.S.
Risa MacDonald, P.T., Ph.D.
Rebecca Pope, Ph.D., M.M.Q.