If you’ve ever sat across from an acupuncturist and thought, “Why is she asking me about my bowel movements with the same intensity my best friend used when she grilled me for every detail of my first date after that messy divorce?” — welcome. You’re among women who get it.
I promise you, we’re not being weird. We just happen to care deeply about one of the most honest storytellers in your entire body: your poop.
Yes. We’re doing this.
Pull up a chair at Sumac Restaurant, sip something warm, and settle in for the kind of conversation we were all raised to avoid.
I grew up in a world where women would proudly declare that they never poop or fart, like it was some delicate spiritual practice. Meanwhile their digestive systems were staging a full blown protest. It took me years to unlearn that. But at some point (kids, stress, perimenopause, life) you realize:
Everybody poops.
And when they don’t, they’re either literally or figuratively full of shit… and maybe both.
Now, in Chinese medicine, digestion is your inner woodstove, the thing keeping everything running smoothly, warmly, and predictably. And your bowel movements? They’re the smoke signals. They tell us what’s happening deeper down, especially when symptoms in other places don’t make sense on their own.
Runny? Dry? Pebbles? Too soft? Too smelly?
Only happens with coffee? Comes every three days? Needs an enema?
Do you splint? (Yes, it’s a real thing.)
Or bless you — have you ever had to dig things out?
Listen… I have infinite compassion for all of it.
Zero shame. Zero judgement. Zero need to pretend your body is anything other than a human body doing human things.
Your bowel movements are clues, not confessions.
To us, your bowel movements are like coming home after leaving your husband in charge… you can instantly tell what happened from the cookie crumbs on the coffee table, the toys everywhere, and the mysterious mess that suggests someone tried to “make a snack” without adult supervision. They help us see if your Spleen is exhausted, if Dampness is taking up residence, if your Liver Qi is bottlenecked, if your Kidneys need support, or if your whole system is overwhelmed from life, weather, stress, kids, hormones, and all the glorious chaos of life.
And here’s the thing:
When you tell an acupuncturist about your poop, you’re not being gross.
You’re giving us gold.
This is how we treat you as a whole person.
Not by slapping a quick fix on knee pain or period cramps, but by asking why your body is sending these messages in the first place, because your digestion is part of every story your body tries to tell.
So the next time you’re in clinic and I ask about #2, know this:
I’m asking with the same energy as your best friend leaning across the table and saying, “Okay, walk me through it from the top, don’t skip anything.”
Not because it’s dramatic but because the details matter.
They help me help you.
Out here, we don’t do shame.
We do real women, real bodies, real life — and real healing.
A Gentle Note: I’m a student of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and this space reflects my learning as it unfolds. TCM is deep, layered, and complex, and I’m still finding my footing within it. I will refine my understanding over time. I will make mistakes. That’s part of doing this honestly. What I share here is my current perspective, shaped by my teachers, clinical training, lived experience, and my own biases. It’s not absolute, it’s evolving. I welcome thoughtful conversation, shared insight, and respectful correction along the way. I humbly welcome your insight. Let’s learn together. You can always find me over on Instagram to keep the conversation going.