It is very common for women to experience cysts. Many women don’t even know they have had cysts because they don’t have any clinical symptoms to alert them to the presence of them. Women who experience pain in their abdomen during their cycle, however, the cause of that pain is often the result of cysts.

Studies show that about 10 in every 100 women have cysts. It is more common than you may think. On average these cysts are one to three centimeters in size. 

Cysts can be very painful when they rupture, often sending women to the doctor or the emergency room.

In some cases the pain, pressure or growth are significant enough that doctors will recommend surgery. In today’s blog, we are going to look at a solution for cysts that don’t involve surgery.

Why Do Cysts Form?

The biggest culprit for ovarian cysts to form is stagnation. When Qi or Blood get “stuck” and don’t flow smoothly, dampness can accumulate.

If you picture a clogged gutter where rain water collects, that is a perfect illustration of how cysts work in the body.

Ovarian cysts occur when there is a Spleen Qi Deficiency or Liver Qi Stagnation in the body. 

Many of you have heard me talk about Spleen Qi in our appointments and how important it is in menstruation. For those of you who have yet to work with me, here’s why the Spleen Qi is so important.

The Spleen is responsible for transforming the food that we eat into energy (Qi) and blood. When the Spleen’s own energy is deficient, it begins to lose its ability to produce sufficient amounts of Qi and blood. 

In the case of Spleen Qi Deficiency, the body cannot transform the energy from food appropriately resulting in fatigue with digestive problems. 

Women with Spleen Qi Deficiency tend to gain weight and retain water. The excess dampness in the body coalesces into lumps and masses of all kinds – ovarian cysts being one of them.

The Liver, from a Traditional Oriental Medicine viewpoint, is responsible for “storing” blood and regulating menstruation. It is also responsible for regulating the flow of emotion in our bodies. 

Anger is the emotion associated with the Liver. Unexpressed or inappropriately expressed anger is the primary cause of the Liver Chi Stagnation and can lead ultimately to blood stasis. It’s the blood stasis that is the concern when it comes to cysts.

When the Liver is “stuck” the blood is not flowing along its normal pathways easily and smoothly and comes to a standstill. A condition of blood stasis factors into many gynecological problems such as PMS and infertility. Chocolate cysts or blood-filled endometriomas are an example of this level of blood stasis in the body.

Why Is Pelvic Steaming So Effective For Cysts?

Even if some of the Traditional Oriental Medicine explanation was a bit detailed, the word that should stand out to you is “stuck” or “stasis” implying that things aren’t moving.

Steaming addresses all of the conditions that cause cysts in the first place – movement, draining dampness and nourishment.

Movement

Steam is highly energized water particles. They move really fast to be in a gaseous state! Even without herbs, the medium itself helps to get things moving!

Steam stimulates your circulatory system to get the blood moving in your body. If the blood is moving, there is no time for it to pool or “get stuck” anywhere.

Drain Dampness

Pelvic steaming or vaginal steaming stimulates an intersection of several important extraordinary vessels in the body that intersect in the perineum. 

One of these vessels is the Conception Vessel. Acupuncture point Conception Vessel One (CV1) has many fertility benefits for both men and women, but it is a big point to move dampness in the body.

Dampness is one of the culprits for cysts, remember?

Nourishment

Remember how I said the medium itself does a lot of the heavy lifting to take care of cysts? Well, let’s get back to the herbs I referenced.

Herbs do all kind of work in a steam session depending on the goals of the client and the imbalances that are showing up in the body.

In the case of cysts, the right combination of herbs can help drain the dampness in the body that is pooling in a cyst. Herbs can help the blood to move more effectively, reducing the right conditions for dampness to accumulate.

Working with a peristeam hydrotherapist, you can eliminate your cysts and prevent them from coming back using pelvic steaming in the comfort of your own home. 

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