Plagued by "Female Problems?"

The Women’s Movement freed women to participate more fully in the world. But it hasn’t freed women from a secret shackle—“female problems”. Menstrual difficulties and other problems associated with women’s special anatomy and physiology may plague women even more today than in the days of our grandmothers. Our active lifestyles, work stress, eating on the run, and lack of deep relaxation add up to increased probability of PMS, menstrual cramps, irregular cycles, abnormal pap smears, fertility problems, pregnancy complications, and perimenopausal discomforts.

Luckily, we don’t need to turn back the clock or rely only on questionable medications to care for our feminine core. We can soothe it and allow for healthy functioning using lifestyle, diet, massage & herbs. A history & physical evaluation with a holistic practitioner helps map out a plan of action & care to bring the uterus and the whole woman into balance again.

Ayurveda, the “Science of Life” is an ancient healing system from India. For “female problems” it offers basic information on proper self care during the times when women’s bodies are vulnerable. Suitable diet, digestion & herbs for the woman can support the nervous system for better resilience under stress, as well as directly feed the reproductive system. Pulse reading tunes in to the subtle, early conditions of imbalance and allows for treatment in subtle ways before they solidify into denser forms, such as cysts, fibroids, or endometriosis. With more advanced problems healing may require more time and stronger therapies. Through various techniques & teachings, Ayurvedic work heals deeply.

Maya Abdominal Massage offers great relief for many women, sometimes bringing menstrual relief after only one therapy session. Self massage techniques are taught to do regularly, between sessions. This adds impetus for better uterine positioning, greater circulation, lymphatic cleansing, and optimization of herbal therapies and the body’s own hormonal messages. Maya Massage also helps release traumas and emotions stored in the pelvic-abdominal region that may restrict healthy flow & function.

Through such holistic techniques “female problems” need not be part of the legacy of women’s greater role in the world.
--by Terra Rafael

A Birth Poem

The quick red fox crossed my path on the way to your birth.
He held his dinner in his mouth -the leg of a deer –
no doubt stolen from the mountain lion's kill.
Your parents hungered for you. They had to stop running
to let you catch up to them.
When you came to grow in your mother, she shared all she ate with you.
She learned to eat & eat & eat.
You birthed slowly at first, slyly finding a way down the trail your mother blazed for you with her strength & courage.
Then - you were suddenly here - long & lean & learning to breathe.
We sang your eyes open.
--by Terra Rafael
You seemed captive by so many of us surrounding you,
so we left you to rest in the arms of your mother & father.
Then you were peaceful.
They welcomed you to your mountain home & their hearts.
And the sunrise blazed red across the sky to bring you newborn light.

Memoir- Grandma's Wood Stove

Real fire cooked the food I ate. My Grandma Moan had a big cast iron wood stove in her kitchen. It radiated warmth in the winter so I loved sitting close by. Looking down into the round holes that are usually covered with their metal covers was fascinating to me – seeing the glowing hot embers that made the even heat to bake with was magic. The special silver wound handle used to lift off that metal cover by fitting into the notch and leveraging it out was exotic.

My Grandma chopped her own wood. Even when she was past 80 years old. She was tiny but powerful. As a child I was almost her height. She endeared us to her even more by the “hole” cookies she always offered us. They were simple sugar cookies cut out with a doughnut cookie cutter and sprinkled with sugar so that they sparkled a bit. They came from that magical wood stove.

The table nearby was covered with a checkered oil cloth table cloth. We'd sit there, cozy by the fire, on a cold morning when we were visiting, eating some cream of wheat. Later in the day we'd play Old Maid or Slap Jack with our Aunt Edna, a real old maid, who lived her whole life with Grandma, until Grandma died. Edna had been crippled by being hit by a car. Her left hand was limp and her leg never worked the same after that. But she always made me laugh when she would make her hand into a spider that crawled up my arm, tickling, while her dark eyes twinkled.
---by Terra Rafael