Meet the Authors of a New Cycle: Jessica Kolahi
In celebration of the launch of A New Cycle, our period-positive guide to a healthier period, we’re introducing you to the contributors! We hand-picked our favorite women’s health experts to write chapters for A New Cycle on their area of specialty. Read on to get know this week’s featured contributor, or click here get a free preview of the book when you sign up for our newsletter!
Meet Jessica Kolahi, author of Chapter 5: Traditional Chinese Medicine and Your Cycle!
Why is menstruation important?
Menstruation is important because it allows for deep insight into the overall health of our bodies. It can be an indicator for old traumas or stagnation, or where we are needing nourishment and additional support.
What inspired you to write your chapter?
Our menstrual cycle is not an isolated event in the body. It affects, and is affected by, all systems in the body. I find that acquainting ourselves with all aspects of our menstrual cycles, even the parts that are less than pleasant, can tell us so much about how our body, as a whole, is operating. Our menstrual cycle is a guide for whether our daily habits are bringing us more in alignment with ideal health, or farther towards dis-ease.
Do you have a personal story about menstruation you’d like to share?
When I was 16, I was encouraged, like most women in my generation, to start birth control. I can't remember the exact reason I was prescribed it at the time, but I remember thinking that it was a wonder drug. As a young woman, I always dreaded my cycle, and felt embarrassed by it. With birth control, I could completely manipulate my cycle and skip my period so it wouldn't "ruin" my camping trips or vacations.
When I was 21, I started to wonder about the long-term effect of taking extrinsic hormones. I decided to stop birth control and see what would happen to my body. The scariest thing is that I had no period for 6 months. It was as if my body had completely forgotten how to ovulate and menstruate on it's own. A gynecologist prescribed me progesterone, which started my period one month, but then, after waiting 3 more months for menstruation, I sought out help in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Within a short amount of time using Chinese herbs and Acupuncture, my cycle completely regulated and I began to feel more in tune with the natural rhythms of my body. In this time, I had become aware of how important it was to me to listen to what my body was telling me, and to use this information to create wellbeing.
When I look back on my teenage self, and recall all the shame I had over menstruation, I feel grief. I wish I had been able to feel more connected to my body through honoring my menstrual cycle, and all the wisdom it could impart to me. Moving forward, I am grateful for the understanding that every symptom of menses is only a message from our body about what needs to be healed.
What kind of menstrual protection do you use?
I use the Lunette Cup during menses (day and night) for the entire cycle, and a GladRags pantyliner in addition for the first 2 days. I feel good about being a small part of changing the environment, and get the benefit of having complete insight into the color and flow of my cycle through the cup!
Last year, we visited Jessica at her office to get her perspective on PMS, Chinese Medicine, and estrogen dominance. Check out the videos we recorded below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Y_u-o5VFjw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bgy_qNV8jsA
Jessica Kolahi is a hormonal health and fertility specialist, and the owner of Vitalize Acupuncture. In 2011, she received her Masters of Science from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in San Francisco, and moved to Portland, Oregon, to actualize her vision of opening an integrative medicine clinic for women.
With ten years of experience in alternative medicine, Jessica is passionate about educating women on how to heal themselves while cultivating awareness of the potential that all of us have to live a life of greater vitality and well-being.