Endometriosis Relief: How Acupuncture, Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine, and Functional Medicine Testing Work Together
Endometriosis affects an estimated 1 in 10 women of reproductive age, yet it remains one of the most misunderstood and frequently dismissed gynecological conditions. For many women, the journey to diagnosis and effective treatment can take years, often involving escalating pain, heavy periods, fertility struggles, and multiple medications or surgeries.
Sadly, the number of women who get referred out for acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Herbal medicine is alarmingly low; even for those where a uterine ablation or burning of their uterine lining and even a life altering hysterectomy is recommended. This was Dr. Burris’s story. She was told by seven OBGYN’s to get a hysterectomy in her teens and twenties when she suffered unimaginable pain. By some miracle, she refused. Instead she tried the medicine she now proudly offers to tens of thousands of women, restoring their reproductive health just as it had restored hers 30 years ago. Even for those women who do not want children, she is able to treat them and heal them.
In my clinical practice as Dr. Kristen Burris, DAcCHM (“Doctor Babymaker”), I frequently see women who have tried “everything”—from hormonal suppression to surgery to the devastating, irreparable hysterectomy—yet they still struggle immensely with debilitating symptoms. The good news is that there are time-tested and evidence-supported approaches that can dramatically improve quality of life, alleviate pain, reduce PMS and control bleeding.
A powerful integrative strategy we use at Eagle Acupuncture combines:
Acupuncture
Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCM) the most advanced form of herbal medicine
Functional medicine testing and laboratory analysis
This complex combination addresses not only the symptoms of endometriosis but also the root physiological drivers behind inflammation, hormonal imbalance, immune dysfunction, and poor detoxification pathways. We get to the root cause of suffering and are able to customize complicated herbal medicine that goes well beyond simple recommendation of Vitex or Maca.
Below, we’ll explore how these approaches work together—and how they are helping women reclaim their health, become fertile and be pain-free.
Understanding The Complexity of Endometriosis
Endometriosis occurs when tissue, similar to the uterine lining (endometrium) travels and grows outside the uterus, commonly affecting the:
Ovaries
Fallopian tubes
Pelvic lining
Bowel or rectum
Bladder
Back
Shoulder Blades
Ribcage
These wandering lesions respond to the ebbs and flow of disruptive hormonal cycles, leading to increased inflammation, bleeding, fibrous adhesions and scar tissue formation during each and every menstrual cycle.
Common symptoms include:
Severe, debilitating menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea)
Pain before and during menstruation
Pain with bowel movements
Pain with urination
Pain throughout the body often the back, shoulder blades, ribs, or thighs
Heavy menstrual bleeding (menorrhagia)
Painful intercourse
Infertility
Chronic fatigue
Digestive problems such as constipation or bloating often diagnosed as IBS
Many women are told their only options are hormonal suppression through birth control or total hormonal shutdown with Lupron, or surgery, even hysterectomy leaving a woman infertile and dependent on HRT her entire life. Yet, these outdated treatments often fail to address the underlying inflammatory and immune processes driving the disease. Additionally, the tissue can re-grow, often within less than 2-5 years requiring more surgeries and creating more scar tissue. Early recurrence can happen within months, especially if hormone suppression is not used (which would prevent pregnancy), or if the excision surgery was incomplete. According to National Institute of Health (NIH) the recurrence rate from these procedures is desperately high:
Within 2 years: approximately 19.1%-21.5% recur
Within 5 years: approximately increase to 40-50% recurrence of endometriosis
With 8 years: long-term studies show recurrence is roughly 15-35% of patients. This is a travesty that this is the care recommended for women. We are here to change that.
This is where integrative medicine including acupuncture, TCM herbal medicine and functional medicine testing shine particularly at Eagle Acupuncture near Boise and Meridian, Idaho.
How Traditional Chinese Medicine Understands Endometriosis
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been treating gynecological conditions for over 2,000 years. The relevance of this fact is that we have successfully treated billions of women for thousands of years with our complex, yet approachable medicine. We heal the body, not suppress it. While the medical term endometriosis is modern, the symptom patterns and suffering have long been described and treated in classical Chinese medical texts.
In TCM, endometriosis often falls into patterns including but not limited to:
Blood stagnation
Qi or Energy stagnation
Cold accumulation in the uterus
Phlegm and damp obstruction
Kidney deficiency
The hallmark symptom—severe, stabbing, utterly debilitating menstrual pain with dark, clotted, blood—is considered a classic sign of blood stagnation. Other pain conditions we treat at Eagle Acupuncture that follow this pattern often include: uterine fibroids, polyps, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), chronic pain anywhere in the body, old sports injuries that never seem to heal, angina, coronary heart disease, Raynaud’s, hypermobile Ehlers Danlos syndrome (hEDS), postural orthostatic tachycardia (POTS) back pain, neck pain, stomach pain, chest pain, headaches, and migraines.
TCM treatment aims to:
Move stagnant blood
Improve pelvic circulation
Reduce inflammation
Regulate hormones
Support immune function
Restore healthy menstrual flow
Alleviate and resolve pain
Increase Fertility (if desired)
When circulation improves and inflammation decreases, pain often drops dramatically and menstrual blood becomes bright red and free-flowing, which is a positive clinical sign in Chinese medicine. Patients love this outward manifestation of healing. It is often a shock when they first observe this change. They can feel the improvement, but seeing it, really confirms the efficacy of the medicine we use. Labs also confirm improvements from reduced CRP or A1C numbers to increase Iron or ferritin levels. We even see improvements in their hormones including improvements in their AMH levels; whereas western medical doctors will claim there is nothing to be done about AMH levels, they think they can only go down. In TCM we actually can improve those numbers and it’s quite satisfying for the patient to see the clinical data of their own bodies improve under our care at Eagle Acupuncture.
Acupuncture for Endometriosis Pain, Pelvic Pain and Menstrual Pain
Acupuncture works through multiple biomedical mechanisms supported and “proven” by modern research and bloodwork.
Studies show acupuncture can:
Reduce inflammatory cytokines
Improve pelvic blood flow
Regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian axis
Release endorphins and natural pain modulators
Reduce prostaglandin levels associated with menstrual cramps
Clinical trials have shown that acupuncture significantly reduces dysmenorrhea (menstrual pain) severity and improves quality of life for women with endometriosis. Women say time and time again within our practice:
“Why didn’t I come to you sooner”
“Why didn’t my doctor tell me about you”
“Why didn’t my OBGYN refer me?”
“Why didn’t my IVF doctor suggest this instead?”
“How did you get rid of my pain in just three months?”
Many patients notice improvements such as:
Less painful periods, often no pain at all
Reduced nausea during menstruation
Less pelvic pressure
Less clotting
More manageable flow for heavy cycles
More blood flow for those who had nearly any before
Improved digestion and bowel movement
Better mood regulation
Less PMS
Less PMDD
In my practice, acupuncture is often performed weekly initially, especially during the first 6–8 weeks when we aim to interrupt and stop the inflammatory pain cycle.
The Power of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine
While acupuncture regulates the nervous system and circulation, herbal medicine addresses the internal physiological environment that allows endometriosis to persist.
Chinese herbal formulas are designed to:
Break up blood stasis
Reduce pelvic inflammation
Dissolve masses and cysts
Regulate estrogen metabolism
Improve immune surveillance
Unlike pharmaceutical drugs that target a single pathway, Chinese herbal formulas contain multiple synergistic compounds that create balance, heal disease and influence inflammation, angiogenesis (blood vessel formation), and modulate immune signaling.
Evidence Supporting Herbal Medicine for Endometriosis
A fascinating meta-analysis published in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research evaluated randomized controlled trials comparing Chinese herbal medicine to conventional therapy for endometriosis.
The researchers found herbal therapy improved:
Significantly reduced pelvic pain
Improved lesion regression
Showed lower recurrence rates after treatment
Fewer side-effects compared to hormonal drug therapy
In several different clinical trials, herbal medicine demonstrated comparable or superior results to the drug danazol, a conventional endometriosis medication. The effect was particularly helpful for pain reduction and improvement of endometriosis lesions.
This growing body of powerful, clinical research supports what Chinese medicine physicians have observed clinically and used in treatment of billions of people for centuries: complex TCM with many herbs in each formula with synergistically balanced herbal medicine can directly and positively influence the disease process.
Why Functional Medicine Testing Matters
While TCM provides a powerful framework for treatment, modern laboratory testing can reveal hidden drivers that worsen endometriosis. This is a unique approach to whole body health at Eagle Acupuncture. With a dual doctorate in acupuncture and TCM herbal medicine with the added benefit of functional medicine lab work and testing, the marriage between old medicine and new, natural medicine and scientific testing has found the ideal integration for healing. This layering of systems of medicine is bold and powerful. This is how we are able to address the most complex medical problems where other treatments have failed.
The hidden drives we uncover in patients with endometriosis often include:
Hormone metabolism imbalance
Chronic inflammation throughout the body (not just the uterus)
Immune dysregulation
Gut microbiome imbalance
Vaginal microbiome imbalance
Environmental toxin overload
Genetic detoxification weaknesses
Mineral and Vitamin insufficiency
Functional medicine testing allows our holistic doctor to identify these root causes and tailor treatment accordingly.
Common tests that may be helpful include:
Hormone Metabolism Panels
These evaluate estrogen detoxification pathways and can identify estrogen dominance, often a key driver of endometriosis growth. A deficiency and an excess of hormones related to a woman’s entire menstrual cycle.
Gut Microbiome Testing
The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in estrogen recycling through the estrobolome. Dysbiosis can worsen hormonal imbalance and systemic inflammation.
Vaginal Microbiome Testing
The vaginal microbiome is a complex and fascinating new revelation in women’s health. We are able to scope out stealthy infections patients and doctors alike have missed. We can uncover infertility disruptors, IVF disruptors, IUI disruptors and miscarriage disruptors. For those not trying for a baby, we can discover inflammation and infections that contribute to pain and discomfort.
Immune Function Testing
Endometriosis is increasingly recognized as an immune-mediated disease, and certain immune markers can indicate inflammatory pathways contributing to lesion growth. Many doctors now believe endometriosis is an auto-immune condition, however, as of now there are different philosophies about this perspective.
Nutrient and Detoxification Testing
Many women with endometriosis have underlying deficiencies of nutrients or detoxification impairment that slows or inhibits hormone clearance.
By combining modern lab insights with traditional Chinese medicine, holistic doctors can create highly personalized and potent treatment plans.
Real Patient Success Stories
The most powerful evidence often comes from patient transformation that we witness every week.
Recently in my clinic, three women with endometriosis experienced remarkable improvements.
Case Study 1: Severe Dysmenorrhea and Chocolate Cysts
A 38-year-old patient came to the clinic with:
Endometriosis
Chocolate cysts (endometriomas)
Pain levels 8 out of 10
Dark menstrual blood with clots
Severe lifelong constipation
Her pain would begin a full week before her period would start.
After two months of acupuncture and complex combination of Chinese herbal medicines, her results were extraordinary:
Pain reduced to 0 zero
Menstrual blood from dark brown to vibrant, healthy red
Bowel movements regular on most days
Surgery and hysterectomy no longer considered necessary
Her quality of life transformed in just eight weeks.
Case Study 2: Teen with Endometriosis and Menorrhagia
An 18-year-old patient presented with:
Endometriosis
Heavy menstrual bleeding
Pain levels 9–10
Severe rectal pain
Nausea rated 4–5 during menstruation
After three months of acupuncture and herbal medicine:
Nausea completely resolved
Pain reduced to level 3 or less some months so had no symptoms at all so her period snuck up on her (that was a first ever!)
Mood swings markedly improved
Menstrual cycles significantly easier to manage
Blood flow was only heavy for an hour or two instead of days of heavy flow
No school missed
Able to exercise comfortably
This case highlights how early intervention with integrative medicine can prevent years of suffering. Her life is forever changed for the better.
Case Study 3: Infertility, Endometriosis, and Failed IVF
A 43-year-old patient came to the clinic after:
Five years of infertility
Multiple failed IVF cycles
Endometriosis
Uterine polyps
One miscarriage
Chronic UTIs since age 10
Moderate to severe menstrual cramps
Within two months of treatment, several breakthroughs occurred.
Acupuncture and herbal medicine eliminated her menstrual cramps completely. She hardly noticed her period at all.
Additionally, functional medicine testing revealed a previously undetected root cause contributing to both IVF failure and miscarriage risk.
After correcting this issue, her reproductive endocrinologist (RE) confirmed that proper medication based on these findings could:
Increase IVF success rates by up to 50%
Reduce miscarriage risk by half
Additionally, this information will affect how she is treated medically from here on
This was the first time in five years of infertility that anyone had recommended this testing.
Now she is preparing for a far more promising IVF cycle.
The Integrative Advantage
Endometriosis is complicated. Treating it effectively often requires multiple perspectives working together.
An integrative strategy that is unique to Dr. Burris At Eagle Acupuncture combines the best of both worlds:
Acupuncture
Chinese herbal medicine
Functional medicine testing
Lifestyle and dietary support
This integration can dramatically improve outcomes.
Women often experience:
Significantly reduced menstrual pain if not complete resolution of all pain
Lighter and healthier periods
Improved digestion
Better hormone balance
Enhanced fertility often going from “infertile” to fertile in less than a year
Reduced inflammation
Most importantly, these women regain control over their bodies, their moods, their dreams, their ability to achieve their dream and their lives.
When to Seek Integrative Treatment
(Hint: The sooner the better! Share this with someone who suffers)
If you experience:
Severe to moderate menstrual pain (no pain is normal although many women are told it is to be expected; we can stop gaslighting women and heal them)
Heavy menstrual bleeding
Pain with bowel movements
Pain with intercourse
Pain with urination
Infertility
Recurrent ovarian cysts
Digestive upset or bowel symptoms during your menstrual cycle
These may be signs of endometriosis or underlying pelvic inflammation.
Early treatment can prevent years of worsening symptoms and may even reduce the need for repeated surgeries.
A Path Forward for Women with Endometriosis
Endometriosis does not have to define, dictate or even ruin your life or deny your ability to have a baby.
Through a thoughtful combination of ancient medical wisdom and modern diagnostics, it is possible to address the root causes of this condition and restore balance to the body, alleviate pain and make periods more enjoyable overall.
In my experience, the most rewarding part of this work is watching patients go from years of pain and frustration to finally saying:
“I feel like I have my life back.”
And that transformation is why integrative medicine matters.
✔ Learn more about integrative fertility and women’s health care today. Give us a call to learn more.