When Gwyneth Paltrow recently posted on GOOP that she recommends women try a v-steam, she received a backlash of skepticism and critique. As someone who not only steams, but recommends and offers vaginal steaming to my clients, I think Paltrow is right. Vaginal steams have been used across the globe for years by a variety of cultures as an inexpensive and natural way to support vaginal health – and just because you haven’t heard of something in Western culture before doesn’t make it automatically suspect.

There are clearly a lot of misconceptions about what a steam is and is not: v-steams are not a form of douching or an expensive “spa day” for your vagina, and the steam is not super-heated or forced into the uterus. The steam doesn’t actually enter the womb, but the warmth of the steam softens and relaxes the pelvis and vagina. The improved blood and lymph flow increases the health of the tissue on a cellular level. Different herbs are used to provide different effects: warming herbs like oregano, rosemary and mugwort can help improve circulation; soothing herbs like calendula, rose and lavender will encourage opening and get secretions flowing. The steam, warmth and relaxation of the ritual are beneficial as well.

So why do a v-steam? For one, practitioners like me find that they help women have less painful periods. The majority of women have some cramping during menstruation, and 15% have severe menstrual cramps. They accept the discomfort of cramps as “normal” during their monthly cycle, or take birth control or painkillers to eliminate symptoms. While serious pain should always be checked out by a gynecologist, I’ve had seen many women experience a drastic reduction in their cramps when they add two to three vaginal steams into their monthly self-care for the two weeks prior to their flow. Korean medical literature, as Dr Eden Fromm pointed to, also shows documented evidence for the use of herbal treatments for dysmenorrhea.

I’ve also seen them help women have more enjoyable sex. My client “Anna” is 28, and sex is painful for her – and her doctor didn’t offer her a lot of effective options. She was worried because it was causing problems in marriage, and she wanted to get pregnant. We discussed self-care options that she can do at home, including V-steams and, the next time I saw her, she was elated to report that when she does a steam early in the day, she’s pain-free when she has sex that evening.

Anna’s difficulties are common but rarely discussed: up to 35% of women experience painful intercourse, but few talk about it. V-steams offer a natural way for women with discomfort due to constriction of the vaginal walls to feel more in control over their sexual experiences – and that’s a good thing.

Vaginal steams have also gained popularity among women who are trying to conceive. Integrative fertility centers like CNY Fertility in Rochester, New York offer steams as a complimentary therapy for women undergoing in vitro fertilization or intrauterine insemination (more commonly called artificial insemination).

In my practice, I find steams particularly helpful when women have dark or dusty blood: the plant oils and the steam help encourage the body to slough off old blood and tissue that’s rests in the hills and valleys of the uterine wall, which prepares the womb to grow a healthy lining during the next cycle. In addition, long term use of hormonal birth control can dry a woman’s crypts (the cells in the cervix that produce cervical fluid) and makes things less “juicy” down there. Women report the increase in cervical fluid they notice after a steam – often in inches!

Steaming is a much more popular practice than people think, and has been used for a long time. Steams are commonly seen in spas in Korea (where they are called Chai-yok) and used by midwives and traditional healers in Central and South America (where they are called Bajos). Plus, self-steams only cost about $5 (packets of herbs for steaming are available online and, in my case, I blend them for my clients).

Dr Rebecca Cohen, who is trained both in family medicine and obstetrics, uses v-steams in her practice and told me, “I recommend vaginal steams in my practice regularly for a variety of reasons, including fertility support, vaginal dryness during menopause and nursing, menstrual irregularities and postpartum support.” Contrary to doctors who hadn’t heard about the practice before, she said, “I believe that they are safe when used correctly and can be a helpful adjunct to conventional medical therapies.”

But before you try a steam at home, it’s always good to check with your doctor and consult with a practitioner who specializes in steams to see what’s right for you. Steaming is not for everyone: women who have intrauterine devices, an internal infection, cervical, uterine or ovarian inflammation, heavy bleeding or who think they might be pregnant should not do a steam.

You may snicker at the idea of steaming your vagina, but in a culture that pathologizes our bodies and medicalizes our reproductive ailments, bringing back this time-tested technique could serve a lot of women well. If Gwyneth Paltrow wants to be a voice for this, I’m all for it.