Pelvic Steam Therapy

Currently only offered as part of the One-on-One Intensive.

Pelvic Steam Therapy is the deliberate use of steam to balance out the menstrual cycle and return the uterus to full health. It’s an all-natural ancient universal home-remedy women have been using for thousands of years in cultures all over the world. It involves sitting over a sauna – or box – with a hole cut out the top, so the steam from the pot of boiling water can touch the vaginal / perineal area.

Steaming on its own cleanses the uterus and creates better circulation throughout the pelvis, but when we add specific herbs to the water we steam with, we can derive even more health benefits due to the herb’s medicinal properties. What’s important to understand however, is that each woman needs a specific herbal mix to match her current symptoms, otherwise you could make the symptoms worse. Hence why you always want to consult a steaming professional who can prescribe you the perfect mix.

Pelvic Steam Therapy is a brilliant preventative medicine with many women also reporting improvements of various gynaecological symptoms. Observations on 700 women who steamed, saw 90% of those women experience improvements in the following conditions:

  • Period problems (PMS); cramps, clots, absent periods, short cycles, long cycles, heavy bleeding, back pain, etc.
  • Infertility
  • Infections, such as thrush, HPV and UTIs.
  • Fibroids
  • Cysts
  • Endometriosis
  • Vaginal Dryness
  • Abnormal and cancerous cells on the cervix
  • Haemorrhoids
  • Postpartum recovery
  • Miscarriage recovery
  • Low Libido
  • Scar tissue
  • Sexual abuse recovery
  • Even acne!

The reason Pelvic Steam Therapy is so effective, is because it helps balance out the common menstrual cycle imbalances that lead to the above conditions. For example, if a woman’s uterus isn’t getting a full cleanse each month through the period – you can read more about The Womb Cleanse here – then old residue can build up in the uterus. This is known as stagnation. 

Typical symptoms of stagnation are brown or black blood during your period, clots, cramping, endometriosis, fibroids, cysts, unexplained infertility, missing periods and so forth. If, on the other hand, a woman has uterine fatigue, she is likely to experience short menstrual cycles, spontaneous bleeding or long periods. These are just a couple of  examples of the 7 menstrual cycle imbalances that are common among modern women.

Once you’re able to balance the menstrual cycle imbalance through specific herb selections, steam set-up and schedule, then the symptoms naturally resolve themselves. Then, the woman is able to experience a healthy period. What does a healthy period look like? It’s four days of fresh red blood or medium flow. Anything outside of this – including any PMS – is an indication that there is a menstrual cycle imbalance at play.

Why does steaming it work?

  • Heat increases circulation which improves uterine function
  • Improves natural menstrual cycle uterine cleanse
  • Tightens and lifts
  • Clears phlegm
  • Deep cleanses the skin cells
  • Goes to the source of the problem
  • Stimulates a meridian point Conception Vessel 1 (cv1) responsible for the circuit of qi throughout the body (rarely used in acupuncture because it’s considered an invasive place to prick the centre of the perineum)
  • Stimulates the cervix and could therefore trigger receptors to the brain that release oxytocin
  • It feels so nice and is easy to do, so can induce a feeling of ease in the body.

Some doctors prescribe steaming and some international hospitals have it too. However, the majority of doctors are unaware of the studies and evidence and this is not something they learn at med school. Hence, why there has been some criticism online of steaming by doctors who have not studied this ancient practice.

Add ‘therapy’ to the mix

Pelvic Steaming on its own is extremely effective, but when you listen to meditations infused with healing words and metaphors while steaming, this enhances the physical healing by inviting the subconscious mind to get involved in the healing process. All our physical symptoms are creations of unresolved emotional trauma, unhealthy belief systems and negative thinking patterns, that guide the body into a state of self-destruction.

When I guide someone on how to Pelvic Steam at home, they are given guided meditations that help loosen the suppressed emotions and beliefs from the subconscious. I also work directly with the client with therapy to clear the underlying issues, so that you are not only healing the current symptoms, but clearing out the root cause of the problem so that it does not come back. In this way, Pelvic Steam Therapy – which is my unique combination of Self-Love Therapy and Pelvic Steaming – is a potent medicine for reproductive and gynaecological issues.

Are you qualified to teach Pelvic Steaming?

Yes, absolutely! I am certified in Vaginal Steaming (another name for Pelvic Steaming). On top of this I have a history in helping women overcome serious gynaecological related issues through my One-on-One Intensive and through my Yoga for the Vagina online series. Aside from the many qualifications I have in therapy-related modalities, I am also trained in Holistic Pelvic Care (created by Tami Lynn Kent), the Billings Ovulation Method, Womb Care, Meridian Massage, and have over 400 hours of official yoga training with a focus on women’s health, and have completed more than a dozen other trainings directly related to helping heal the female body.

When can I start?

I am only offering Pelvic Steam Therapy to clients alongside the One-on-One Intensive OR clients how have previously completed the One-on-One Intensive or Remarkable Relationships course. This is because, while steaming alone is highly effective, it doesn’t actually clear out the emotional/mental root cause of the physical problem, so in many cases you need to keep steaming long-term to maintain your results. This is ok, but I believe it’s far more beneficial to get to the root cause of the problem through therapy, so the problem no longer exists.

Pelvic Steam Therapy as part of the One-on-One Intensive: Upon enrolment in the One-on-One Intensive you’ll be sent a questionnaire to fill out, so that I can put together a unique herbal recipe for you to suit your needs, a specific steaming schedule and set-up for you. You will also receive education sheets on how to steam, with guidelines on how to care for your womb outside of the steaming. You will also receive meditation tracks to listen to while steaming.

Pelvic Steam Therapy for previous clients: If you wish to receive a personalised Pelvic Steam Plan, accompanying meditation and monthly guidance from me as you begin your home steaming, simply send me an email tamra@gettingnaked.com.au Let me know what the health issue is that you’d like to resolve, and I can put together a program and price for your specific condition. Average prices will range from $600-$1200 depending on what you’re wanting to heal and how many consultations you’ll need to check in and adjust steam plans as the symptoms naturally resolve.

Please note: Pelvic Steaming is contraindicated when you are menstruating (only when you are bleeding), if you are pregnant, if you have two periods per month or experience spontaneous bleeding, have a current burning itch, have had your tubed tied (coagulation) or have the Nexplanon arm implant. If you are trying to conceive, steaming can help increase your chances of getting pregnant, however there are particular times during your cycle that you should not steam.

What do I need to get started?

Once you decide you want to steam with me, then I’ll send you a questionnaire to fill out that will give me the information I need to create your specific herbal mix, steam schedule and steam set-up. You will need to either buy or create your own steam seat/box (see mine above). You can make one from an old chair if you want to save costs. You will need a stainless steel or ceramic pot to hold the water, and you will need to source organic herbs, once I send you through your herbal recipe. If you are not considered a sensitive user, you will also need to buy an electric burner or stove to place under the steam pot to keep the water warm for the duration of your session.

I know you’ve probably got questions… so please see below for the most common ones I come across…

Is Pelvic Steam Therapy the same as Vaginal Steaming?

Yes and No! Yes, you sit over a steam box and you steam your vagina with herbs. During my training however, my teacher has taken this a step further, by working with the Chinese Medicine model of bodily imbalances. What this means, is that we can use the period as a diagnostic tool to determine what’s going on with your your health. From here, we’re able to create a very specific steam plan with unique herb combinations that are able to bring balance to not only your period, but to your body as a whole. So in this way, the steaming I offer goes beyond promoting general wellbeing as vaginal steaming does. It actually addresses a very specific complaint.

I also decided to to call it ‘Pelvic’ Steaming as opposed to ‘Vaginal’ Steaming because you are steaming the whole pelvis, not just the vagina. All the organs that sit within the pelvis are being effected by the added circulation to the area, thus creating whole pelvis healing, as opposed to just vaginal healing. You can adjust how you sit to steam you anus to help with issues such as haemorrhoids. And because of this, men can steam too, and heal their sexual health issues!

Finally, I added ‘Therapy’ to the title, because like I mentioned, in order to completely clear a problem out of the body, you need to address the emotional/mental root cause. Given this is what I specialise in, I found when you do Self-Love Therapy alongside Pelvis Steaming you’re receiving a holistic approach to your healing that creates big shifts in your life, as much as your body.

The uterus is self-cleansing. Why do I need to steam to get a good cleanse?

Yes, absolutely the womb is self-cleansing, when it’s working well. However, most women treat their bodies in ways that interrupt the natural monthly womb cleanse, and as a result, this can lead to residue build up, that can trigger off a raft of other symptoms and conditions. It’s much like the bowel! The bowel is designed to cleanse itself every day. But many people don’t poop every day and experience constipation because they’re not eating the right foods and drinking enough water to support healthy digestion. The same happens with the uterus.

If for example you wear tampons, then you’re essentially plugging up the channel where the blood and unfertilised egg are trying to exit. You can read my blog What tampons are doing to your womb here. If you’re eating cold foods or not keeping warm when you bleed each month, this can slow down the flow of blood, so you don’t get a full cleanse. I include a complete guide to supporting your monthly womb cleanse in the Yoga for the Vagina online series.

So Pelvic Steam Therapy helps a woman clear out all the old residue so she has a clean uterus to work with, so she doesn’t need steaming in the future, or only if she finds she has created new residue due to unhealthy lifestyle habits. At the same time, I provide extensive education on how you need to care for yourself so your uterus is able to cleanse itself on its own. In a recent survey, 95% of women reported they had one of the three indicators that they were not getting a full uterine cleanse each month.

If you have a four day period of medium flow bright red blood without any PMS, then you know your uterus is doing a stella of a job in cleansing itself and no, you don’t need steaming! But if there is brown of black blood, spotting, clots, fibroids, cysts, endometriosis, cramping, back pain or any other symptom in the lead up to, and during your period, then you know your uterus could do with a a little additional support in getting a full cleanse each month.

Can Pelvic Steaming burn me?

Yes. Steam can burn. That is why you never sit over a steam box or chair, before testing how hot the steam is with your hand, first. You need to get the heat right. Steaming should feel comfortable. It’s meant to be an enjoyable experience! There is absolutely no benefit to the steam being so hot it could burn you. As long as you test the steam before you sit down, then you’ll be fine. If it’s too hot, you wait for the steam to cool down a bit, and test again. Think of steaming like taking a shower. If the water’s too hot it will burn you. You need to turn it down so it’s the right temperature for you.

Can the steam really get into my uterus?

Firstly, there are many parts of the pelvis that may need to be treated that are not in the uterus. For example, you could have multiple cysts that are on your vulva (the external genitalia), or your vaginal canal or cervix may need healing. Secondly, the steam works by warming the pelvis, which invites the muscles of the pelvis to relax. Relaxing the musculature around the reproductive system has a therapeutic response. The steam also creates better circulation in the pelvis as a whole, and we need good circulation for a healthy pelvis.

Herbs from the steam are able to get into the bloodstream, because steam is simply water, making it easy to permeate those membranes. We see the effectiveness from steaming, when all of the old residue starts to leave the uterus. All that brown and block blood and clots and so forth that comes out, is proof that the steam is helping in some way, making room for healthy tissue to regenerate. This indicates that it’s very possible that the steam could be opening the cervical os.

This is a much healthier way of cleaning out your uterus than invasive procedures that involve scraping out the endometrial lining. The warmth of the steam relaxes the musculature and helps loosen up all that residue, so you can have healthy periods; bright red blood of medium flow for four days.

Is there any scientific evidence that steaming works?

Although Pelvic Steaming hasn’t been extensively studied by medical science there is substantial evidence to suggest that it may be beneficial for treating gynaecological conditions. My teacher has compiled a Pelvic Steam Database that shows the results of women who have steamed and what changes they noticed in their various conditions. You can access it here. In addition to this, there have been 10 clinical studies conducted on steaming in Korea, China, India and Suriname, all of which showed outcomes in favour of steaming.

What we need to remember, is that there’s also no scientific evidence that acupuncture works, yet how many people get acupuncture and report amazing results? People do acupuncture, like steaming, because it works. On the flip side, if we want to make that argument, there’s a lot of scientific evidence that things – like Pharmaceutical Drugs – do work, and eventually they get recalled by the FDA after they’ve done years of damage. But that’s a conversation for another time.

Can steaming disrupt the healthy functioning of the vaginal flora?

If you’re steaming for too long, the steam is too hot or you’re using the wrong herbs, then yes, it’s possible that you could can disrupt or damage the physiologically normal, protective flora in your vagina, because not every herb is for every single condition.

That’s why you need to steam under the guidance of a certified and well trained steamer! When looking for a doctor you don’t decide to do procedures on yourself. You go to someone who’s qualified and knows what they’re doing. Steaming is a healing modality, and, as such, should be respected and conducted and performed by a certified professional.

Speaking of damaging flora we have to talk about doctor-prescribed antibiotics. We have scientific proof that that’s what is harming the vaginal flora and creating resistance to BV. I think it’s a catch-22 because yes, you are killing the bad germs, but part of antibiotics is that you’re also killing some of that good stuff. 

With steaming, it’s water that is infused with herbs. That’s why selection of herbs is so important, because some herbs are meant to treat bacteria, some herbs are meant to treat viral infections, some herbs are meant to do a combination of the two. And the dosage is important too. Just because one person has HPV doesn’t mean that another person with HPV needs the same treatment. There could be a number of other factors at play that need to be assessed in coming up with the right herbs, the right steam set-up and the right steam schedule.