Healing Isn't Linear

We’re often asked, “Can my period get worse before it gets better?” While it depends on each person’s unique health and lifestyle, the short answer is yes. Natural, holistic healing takes time, and as your hormones gradually rebalance, it’s normal to experience shifts—usually positive, but sometimes negative—as your body gets used to something new.

It’s important to keep in mind that, on average, it takes 3-4 months of taking Cycle Balance to start noticing major improvements in symptoms. However, those with more chronic, underlying health conditions might experience more noticeable signs of progress in months 5-6. 

Along the way, it’s also normal to experience new or different symptoms, some of which can feel “worse” than before starting Cycle Balance. According to Elix Medical Advisor, Dr. Le, this is all part of your body’s natural detoxification process. 

“Some people might report their symptoms getting worse before they get better due to a possible healing crisis or detox reaction. A healing crisis occurs because your body is eliminating toxins and waste products in response to the herbal regimen. Make note of what symptoms are getting worse and what symptoms are improving. The important thing to note is that worsening symptoms do not indicate that the herbal regimen is not working, in actuality, usually just the opposite.” - Dr. Liem Le, DAOM.

Detox is natural and necessary

You can think of the liver as the body’s filtration system. Everything we eat and drink — as well as many of the things we inhale and absorb through our skin — pass through the liver to be detoxified.

The liver filters the blood by removing harmful substances (such as drugs, bacteria, toxins, and foreign proteins) which are then further filtered through our kidneys and excreted via our bladder through urine, or through our intestines and eliminated via our bowels.

The liver also has the job of filtering our hormones—primarily estrogen—which it breaks down into different metabolites, in order to be either actively used or safely excreted from the body.

The liver will always prioritize filtering outside substances first (as they can cause more immediate harm) so if it gets overloaded with these, it cannot properly filter our hormones, which typically leads to too much estrogen in our system and ultimately, an array of PMS symptoms. 

As our body’s hormones begin to rebalance while taking Cycle Balance, it’s normal to experience some short-term side effects while the liver adjusts to the new support it's receiving.

Holistic health is key

Because everything in our body is connected, the best way to mitigate these detox side effects is to take a holistic approach. Cycle Balance heals the root of menstrual symptoms by rebalancing the hormones that cause them, but it also depends on our overall health and is made even more effective when we’re living a healthy lifestyle.

“For TCM to ‘rebalance’ you, it may take some time. Our body has an extraordinary ability to heal itself, but we need to give it some patience and support.” -Zoey Gong, TCM Food Therapist & Elix Advisor

If you’re noticing that your periods are getting worse before they’re getting better, try tuning into what other variables might be adding to your toxic load. See how you feel when you eliminate or minimize some of these factors:

• Processed foods, fats, and sugar
• Alcohol 
• Prescription medications
• Toxic beauty products 
• Air pollution
• Chronic stress
• Poor sleep
• Living a sedentary lifestyle

When taking Cycle Balance, we always suggest drinking plenty of water, eating a diet rich in leafy greens and colorful vegetables, and getting a full 8 hours of sleep. Because while herbal medicine can do a lot, it’s important to make sure we’re doing everything we can to support ourselves along this healing journey.

Have questions? We're here to support you on every step of your journey. Reach out to us at team@elixhealing.com or schedule time to chat with Katelyn, our Community Care Team Lead.

This article was reviewed by Dr. Liem Le.

Dr. Liem Le is a Doctor of Chinese Medicine, Functional Medicine Practitioner, and Nutritionist Integrative Medicine Department at H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center. He is a part of the teaching staff for the Masters program for the Functional Medicine and Human Nutrition program at University of Western States. Dr. Le is currently working on his fellowship in Integrative Medicine with the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine via a scholarship from the White House to complete the initiative.