Rosanne interviews Michelle Oravitz, founder of Wholesome Lotus and licensed acupuncturist, about how Chinese medicine can transform fertility by treating the whole body, not just reproductive organs. Michelle shares her journey from architect to healer and discusses how ancient wisdom combined with mindset work creates powerful healing.
Chinese Medicine and Women's Health
Key Insights
Actionable Advice
Michelle shares her transformation from feeling like 'a bird in a cage' as an architect to discovering her calling in Chinese medicine. Her journey began with irregular periods for 12 years that resolved after one acupuncture treatment, leading her to eventually leave corporate life despite family pressure.
Chinese medicine succeeds because it's based on natural laws and treats the whole body system rather than isolated symptoms. Michelle explains how reproductive health reflects overall health, using the analogy of removing blockages throughout the entire system rather than just treating where symptoms appear.
Michelle shares her 42-year-old patient who was told by two doctors she was premenopausal and needed donor eggs. After just 3-4 weeks of Chinese medicine treatment, she conceived naturally and went on to have two healthy babies, demonstrating the power of self-advocacy and alternative approaches.
Michelle provides actionable advice including getting early morning sun for cellular melatonin production, grounding on the earth to reduce inflammation, eating with the sun's rhythm, and combining meditation with nature exposure. These simple practices work with natural laws to support fertility.
“Chinese medicine is based on the laws of nature and promotes what the body already knows how to do - heal itself”
— Michelle Oravitz▶ 23:02
Chinese medicine helps fertility by treating the whole body system, not just reproductive organs. It's based on natural laws and promotes the body's innate healing ability through acupuncture, herbs, and lifestyle changes that address root causes of imbalance.
“She came to me, and then so a month later, she's late on her period. She had a negative pregnancy test and all of a sudden she hears in her mind his voice telling her you're premenopausal”
— Michelle Oravitz▶ 36:01
Yes, it's possible to conceive naturally even after being told you need donor eggs. Michelle Oravitz shares the story of a 42-year-old patient who was told by two doctors she was premenopausal and could only use donor eggs, but conceived naturally and had two healthy babies after Chinese medicine treatment.
“Don't skip breakfast, have the breakfast, because when the sun comes out, it actually helps the fire, your digestive fire”
— Michelle Oravitz▶ 48:14
For optimal fertility, eat breakfast when the sun comes out to work with your natural digestive fire, then stop eating when the sun goes down (around 5-6pm) so your body can focus on repair instead of digestion during sleep.
“If you get cellular melatonin, which comes from the infrared light, the heat from the sun, that is actually by far the best thing that you can do”
— Michelle Oravitz▶ 44:27
Early morning sunlight (around 8am) produces cellular melatonin in your body, which acts as a powerful antioxidant that helps with egg quality. This is more effective than taking melatonin supplements because it works at the cellular level rather than just in the bloodstream.
“There's a there's that you saw that in the movie, the thermography, where they show like crazy amount of inflammation drop like insanely just from a grounding mat”
— Michelle Oravitz▶ 47:02
Grounding (putting your bare feet on the earth) reduces inflammation in the body, which is crucial for fertility since many fertility challenges stem from inflammation. There's scientific evidence showing dramatic inflammation reduction through grounding.
“It's like exercising, or if you're going to eat really healthy for one day, is it really going to make a difference, you got to keep at it”
— Michelle Oravitz▶ 33:27
Chinese medicine for fertility requires consistency like exercise - it's not a quick fix but an overhaul of your health. Treatment typically involves regular acupuncture (1-2x weekly), herbs, supplements, and lifestyle changes over months to allow the body's natural healing timeline.
Simple daily practices using ancient wisdom and modern science to support fertility naturally
Get Early Morning Sun Exposure
Around 8am when UV rays are safer, spend time in direct sunlight. If possible, expose your abdomen to the gentle morning sun for cellular melatonin production.
Practice Grounding
Put your bare feet on the earth - grass, sand, or soil. This reduces inflammation through electrical grounding. In cold weather, use a grounding mat connected to your home's grounding system.
Combine with Breathwork
While grounding and getting sun, practice deep breathing or meditation to maximize the benefits of being present in nature.
Make it a Daily Ritual
Start each day with this combination: feet on earth, gentle sun exposure, breathwork, then journaling or meditation for mental clarity.
Chinese medicine works for fertility because it's based on the laws of nature and promotes what the body already knows how to do - heal itself
Michelle had irregular periods for 12 years from age 13-25, then got her period the same day after her first acupuncture treatment and again 4 weeks later naturally.
Reproductive health is a reflection of your overall health - you can't fix fertility issues by only treating reproductive organs
Michelle explains using the analogy of fixing water flow by removing the rock in the back of the hose, not just treating the front where symptoms appear.
Getting early morning sun on your skin produces cellular melatonin which acts as an antioxidant and helps with egg quality
Michelle explains that infrared light from early morning sun induces melatonin in cells, which is superior to taking melatonin supplements that only go into bloodstream.
A 42-year-old woman conceived naturally and had two healthy babies after being told she was premenopausal and could only use donor eggs
Michelle's patient was told by two different doctors she barely had any eggs and needed donor eggs for IVF. After working with Michelle for 3-4 weeks before COVID, she conceived naturally and had her first baby, then conceived again naturally for a second baby.
When you raise your vibration and change how you think, believe, and take action, you naturally start attracting people at a similar frequency
Rosanne describes meeting amazing practitioners like Michelle after changing her own mindset, noting that 'birds of a feather flock together' when you improve yourself.
Following your true calling despite others' opinions prepares you for the self-advocacy skills needed in motherhood
Michelle left architecture despite family pressure, then later had to advocate for her patients and her own children against doctors pushing unnecessary interventions.
Chinese medicine requires consistency like exercise - it's about creating an overhaul of your life to see what's working and what isn't
Michelle explains treatment isn't one and done but involves regular acupuncture, herbs, supplements, lifestyle changes, and partnership with patients for lasting change.
Eat breakfast when the sun comes out to work with natural rhythms, then fast before sleep so your body can focus on repair instead of digestion
Michelle recommends eating with the sun's rhythm rather than skipping breakfast for intermittent fasting, stopping eating at 5-6pm when sun goes down.
Meditation creates a state of flow where regulation can happen mentally and physically - the same coherence that allows healing
Michelle references Joe Dispenza's research on brain coherence during meditation, explaining how presence and flow states allow energy to move where it needs to for healing.
Always trust your patient's intuition over your clinical judgment - they know their body better than any expert can
Michelle explains she will pivot from her clinical assessment if a patient expresses they intuitively feel something different, believing the person is fully connected to their own body.
Chinese medicine works for fertility because it's based on the laws of nature and promotes what the body already knows how to do - heal itself
▶ 23:02Reproductive health is a reflection of your overall health - you can't fix fertility issues by only treating reproductive organs
▶ 30:32Getting early morning sun on your skin produces cellular melatonin which acts as an antioxidant and helps with egg quality
▶ 44:27A 42-year-old woman conceived naturally and had two healthy babies after being told she was premenopausal and could only use donor eggs
▶ 36:01When you raise your vibration and change how you think, believe, and take action, you naturally start attracting people at a similar frequency
▶ 1:53Following your true calling despite others' opinions prepares you for the self-advocacy skills needed in motherhood
▶ 41:31Chinese medicine requires consistency like exercise - it's about creating an overhaul of your life to see what's working and what isn't
▶ 33:37Eat breakfast when the sun comes out to work with natural rhythms, then fast before sleep so your body can focus on repair instead of digestion
▶ 48:14Meditation creates a state of flow where regulation can happen mentally and physically - the same coherence that allows healing
▶ 50:07Always trust your patient's intuition over your clinical judgment - they know their body better than any expert can
▶ 53:55“You need to fix your reproductive organs to solve fertility problems”
CONSIDER: Reproductive health is a reflection of overall health - you must treat the whole body system
“Medical experts always know what's best for your body”
CONSIDER: You are the ultimate authority on your own body - trust your intuition even over expert opinions
“You are more than a fucking statistic. You are a woman on the path to her baby.”
“The body knows how to heal itself. The problem happens is when we constantly give it assaults.”
“If you can't advocate for yourself, you know how many things I had to advocate for my own kids that were being pushed by doctors?”
“You're never gonna know better than the patient knows for themselves.”
“Finally choosing yourself. It takes a lot of courage, but choosing your own voice.”
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