Some women are strongly opposed to ingesting food with added hormones but at the same time fill their bodies with hormones from birth control regimens for long periods of time, sometime years.
According to the principles of Chinese Medicine, any “influence” that disturbs the natural rhythm of the monthly cycle is considered a precursor to disease. That would include birth control in the form of pills, patches, and injections. Western scientific research verifies this. The results of many studies indicate the various contraceptive types on the market today can produce side effects including nervous system disturbances, anxiety, depression, allergy irregularities, decreased libido, hypertension, liver disease, migraine headaches, and an increased risk of breast and uterine cancer. These are only a fraction of those documented and enough to give one pause when weighing the risks and benefits of use.
What are some options in beginning to learn and practice a healthier form of birth control, fertility and managing reproductive health? Here are five:
1. Keeping charts of monthly cycles is paramount in order to become familiar with the natural biomarkers of health that tell a woman when she can conceive. Once a woman is familiar with the biomarkers, she can identify naturally infertile times when she may have intercourse without conceiving. This attunement with the body from consistent charting teaches a language of health that indicates when things are not in balance. Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler is good for providing a wealth of information in this regard. Also, FEMM Health (Fertility Education and Medical Management) has an app that helps educate women as they chart.
2. Understanding some basic concepts of Chinese Medicine, rooted in thousands of years of wisdom, can expand awareness on how all systems of the body are connected. An imbalance in one can affect all or some of the others. For example, a weakness in the digestive system can affect the monthly cycle. This Eastern holistic approach is introduced in The Infertility Cure: The Ancient Chinese Wellness Program for Getting Pregnant and Having Healthy Babies. The author, Dr. Randine Lewis, explains how she used Chinese Medicine to treat her infertility and give birth to two children.
3. Find a doctor who will support this alternative of not using birth control pill/patches/injections, or IVF. In the 25 minute documentary, NaPro: A Quiet Revolution, Dr. Anne Nolte explains why it is not necessary to suppress a woman’s reproductive system: “It’s something that we don’t do in any other area of medicine-simply use a medicine to shut down a normally functioning system—only in women’s health”. Several medical doctors trained in NaPro technology explain why supporting the endocrine system to function optimally is equal to the effectiveness of in vitro fertilization and conventional birth control methods.
4. FEMM Health, a health center scheduled to open a Manhattan branch this fall, has doctors trained in medical protocols developed according to the newest advances in reproductive endocrinology. They conduct hormonal profiles for each patient and treat common symptoms of ovulatory dysfunction such as weight gain, acne, PMS, cramps, painful or abnormal or irregular cycles, heavy bleeding, and more. Accredited with special consultative status with the United Nations, FEMM Health focuses on education as well as medical treatment. FEMM Health needs an initial roster of 1,000 patients in order to open the Manhattan branch. Interested women can sign up here or contact weronika@femmhealth.org
5. And finally, relax! Stress can disrupt a healthy monthly cycle, which is a key indicator of not only reproductive health, but a woman’s health in general. A good diet, exercise, enjoying mutually nourishing relationships and developing a lifestyle that fits who you are all help to keep stress levels down.
This ‘not so quiet’ revolution in women’s health care is long overdue. To the future!
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