Connect
To Top

Meet Adrienne Irizarry of Moon Essence in New Hampshire

Avatar photo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adrienne Irizarry.

Adrienne, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always been interested in Chinese medicine and had actively pursued going to school for acupuncture, but the timing never worked out (funny how the Universe works, right?). My journey to becoming a peristeam hydrotherapist started with over a decade of menstrual issues, cystic ovaries and endometriosis. I had been through all the western treatments to manage the pain and heavy flow including birth control and ended up in the emergency room at the age of 25 with a heart attack due to the medication.

Once off birth control, my cycles started getting out of control again and when my periods started arriving every two weeks and lasting for two weeks, I was beside myself with fatigue and frustration. I started going to acupuncture and taking herbs because Western approaches had provided me with no relief, and I started seeing my cycle lengthen again. Acupuncture and herbs lengthened my cycle to 26-27 days but I still wasn’t quite to the idea 28-30 day length. Despite this, my husband and I started trying to have a baby and were met with heartache.

I was diligent about my acupuncture treatment, but despite this, we had miscarriages. After two pregnancy losses, we turned to Western infertility support in addition to acupuncture. Two failed IUI attempts sent me to a reproductive endocrinologist. After a barrage of tests for both my husband and myself, the RE threw himself into a chair across a big pretentious desk while laughing and said: “your test results and his are great – I have no idea why you can’t conceive… but we can do IVF with ICSI.” He handed me a prescription for birth control to start controlling my cycle and sent me out the door to his nurse to explain the process to me.

I was in so much shock I barely remembered the nurse’s extensive and hurried instructions on how to start this daunting IVF process. I was shattered. He was supposed to be the expert – why did he have no answers for why this was happening to me?!

IVF made zero sense to me because I was getting pregnant I just wasn’t holding it. How was getting me pregnant going to change that?

Devastated, I was relaying all this to my friend and she had heard a podcast talking about vaginal steaming for fertility support and suggested I look into it. I thought it sounded weird but I was pretty desperate, so I was willing to try anything. Gathering more information, I learned it was used in Eastern medicine and that was exciting to me, so I reached out to the Peristeam Hydrotherapy Institute for more information because there was no practitioner within thousands of miles of me.

I started steaming with a little guidance from a member of the Institute staff. I remember sitting for my first few steams enjoying how relaxing it was but wondering how it was possibly doing any work for my issues. My next period made me a believer. Within three months’ time, my cycles were 28 days and virtually pain-free for the first time in my life. I started training to be a practitioner after my second cycle and never looked back. I wanted to help women like me live healthier lives and I realized this was why acupuncture school never worked out. This is what I was meant to do.

I am one of the first certified peristeam hydrotherapists in the United States. I work with women from when their periods start all the way through post-menopause to restore harmony in the body using herbs, steam and Chinese nutritional therapy. It brings me so much joy to help women feel better and live life to the fullest. For many, that life includes a baby they have long-awaited and it is such a gift to me to give that opportunity to others.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was not a smooth journey. There is so much education that is involved with this profession. Our culture doesn’t do enough to teach women how their bodies work so sometimes when I start working with people, I have to go back to basics and teach them how to count the days of their cycle so they know when day one is. Body literacy is a huge part of my job.

Being able to explain what vaginal steaming is also served to be a big hurdle. Our western gynecological care is very invasive (tools go in, feet in stirrups, etc.) and they think this has to be some sort of tool with steam that is inserted into the body and it is a scary idea for some women at the outset.

Unsupportive partners can be a challenge. The lack of western studies of this practice creates a big hurdle with men who want to see statistics on the topic. They are pleasantly surprised when they see their partners feeling better and they are able to conceive naturally. This challenge is also felt with western medicine practitioners. When more studies are done here in the United States (medical studies are available in other countries), I foresee more acceptance by an allopathic medicine community.

Please tell us about Moon Essence.
Moon Essence uses herbs, steam and Chinese nutritional therapy to restore harmony to women’s bodies in every phase of life.

What sets me apart is I explain the “why” to women. A lot of times women go to their doctor and they want to know why they are seeing heavier periods and are told things like “you had a child, it’s normal to see periods get heavier after birth.” This is too broad an answer for most women and I can’t tell you how many come to me and describe that they just “know” there is more too it than that. I get to the “why” and teach them about their bodies, the signs they are being given and then help create a plan for restoring harmony. Women don’t have to live with cramps. Women don’t have to live with heavy periods. These are ways disharmony shows up in the body. I am a teacher and a cheerleader for these women.

Food is medicine and it is a big part of the work that I do in addition to steam. There is almost as much food talk is there is steaming talk in my appointments. I work hard to nourish the body from both ends so they can thrive.

What makes me most proud is when I have a woman walk in the door, frustrated and leaves with hope. Hope for less pain. Hope for the baby they are dreaming of. Hope for a change in their current symptoms. In just a few short months, most realize the fruits of their dedication to the steam and nutritional plan and it’s the best part of what I do. The positive pregnancy tests. The birth announcements. The first period with no pain. The first nights without waking up with hot flashes. These wins are life changers for so many and I love that the work I do helps this become a reality for so many.

Because I am one of a half dozen certified peristeam hydrotherapists in the world, I am really proud that my practice is almost half virtual. I have the honor of serving women all over the world and helping them to achieve their goals. I take appointments all hours of the day to accommodate time zones.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Authenticity and vulnerability. When you have had a miscarriage (or several), you feel isolated. Alone. Like you exist on an island. Your partner only “sorta” gets what you are feeling. Even the most supportive partners aren’t able to see you the way you need to be seen. A woman who has been there does. I hold their hand and cry with them. Share my experience so they know they aren’t alone.

I am professional but I don’t mince words. When people leave my office, they know I am in their corner all the way. Everything is interconnected – the emotional and physical states. So much of their success is in how they feel so setting their minds at ease is as important as the therapy itself.

Pricing:

  • Initial Intake Appointment is an hour and a half and is $120. We do a comprehensive patient history, their first steam session and create a plan for treatment.

Contact Info:

Suggest a story: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.

Related Items

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More in