Natural Health Care for Women
A different perspective.
Jane Tara Cicchetti, RSHom(NA), CCH,
Today, with a large section of our population being made up of women in their late forties, much is being written about the treatment of menopause. Articles and books on the subject of self-help for menopause and the pros and cons of estrogen replacement abound. I applaud this. The more information women have about their health and the more they communicate with one another about these important times in their lives the better. I do, however, have one problem with much of this information. That is…menopause is not a disease.….it is not something to be treated, rather, something to be celebrated as an important transition in a woman’s life.
The attitude, that menopause, childbirth and even menstruation are diseases is at the core of the problem with women’s health care. We are told that we must be hospitalized to give birth, x-ray our breasts, use vaginal deodorants and take estrogen for menopause under the fear of dire consequences. And we believe this!!
I believe that women have lost touch with the tradition of the wise elder woman, the midwifes and herbalists who once helped to pass knowledge on women’s health from mother to daughter. We now often turn to doctors to help us become balanced and healthy and are disappointed. Yet women go to doctors more often than men. Why? Because when we are even slightly out of balance it shows up in the cycles and transitions in our lives. This is an advantage. It allows us to be more in touch with our health, to re-balance before something goes wrong. Women’s lives are naturally full of transitions and cycles; menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause are a part of a healthy woman’s life so there are many opportunities for our bodies and minds to display the symptoms of general imbalance.
We expect doctors to help us get back into balance and health and they cannot help us because they are not trained in this area. Doctors do what they are trained to do – treat disease. They can be very helpful in this. What they cannot do is help us to be healthy and balanced. This is our responsibility and our right.
What can we do? First and foremost- live a healthy natural life style. Eat natural foods, get some exercise, and avoid processed foods, caffeine, sugar, tobacco and excess alcohol. Next, explore tried and true methods of balancing the body and mind like yoga, massage, and homeopathy. These have been used for hundreds of years to create balance and awareness that open the mind, free the spirit and enhance vitality. Educate ourselves about all the possibilities that are open to us for health care and discuss these with other women. Form a woman’s group to rekindle the tradition of sharing knowledge with other women and celebrating the cycles of our lives. Lastly, enjoy life. Dance, sing, paint, and celebrate being a woman.