Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom (180 page)

The results include a brief explanation and a direct link to the National Library of Medicine for more detailed result information. If the results are abnormal, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss the findings. (Test results will not show up on your permanent medical record unless you share them with your doctor.) Although this form of testing is not generally covered by health insurance, prices are extremely reasonable.

Botanicals and Herbs

Emerson Ecologics
(800-654-4432 or 603-656-9778;
www.emersonecologics.com
)

Emerson Ecologics provides high-quality nutritional supplements, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, herbs, standardized herbal extracts, green foods, and essential fatty acids from the world’s leading manufacturers of professional supplements.

Quality Life Herbs
(207-842-4929;
www.qualitylifeherbs.com
)

My personal acupuncturist, Fern Tsao, and her daughter Maureen, both experts in the use of Chinese herbs, now distribute Chinese herbs internationally. All the herbs mentioned in
Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom,
as well as numerous others, are available through mail order from Quality Life Herbs. Their products meet the highest standards possible for effectiveness and quality. I have referred women to Fern for many years with excellent results in a wide variety of conditions.

Multivitamin-Mineral Supplements

USANA
(888-950-9595 or 801-954-7200;
www.usana.com
)

USANA makes a superior line of nutritional supplements using pharmaceutical-grade ingredients.

Verified Quality
, available through Emerson Ecologics (800-654-4432 or 603-656-9778;
www.emersonecologics.com
). I also recommend this brand.

Intuitive Guidance

Doris Cohen, Ph.D.
(216-556-1781;
www.healingrepetition.com
)

Dr. Cohen, lecturer, workshop leader, and author of
Repetition: Past Lives,
Life and Rebirth
(Hay House, 2008), has been a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist in private practice for more than thirty years. She is also a certified psychic and medical intuitive, known for her uncanny accuracy and insightful psychic readings.

Deena Spear
(607-387-7787;
www.singingwoods.org
)

Deena is a vibrational and acoustical healer with a degree in neurobiology from Cornell University who combines twenty-nine years of experience as a violin maker with her training as an energy healer from the Barbara Brennan School of Healing.

Diane Goldner
(310-264-1924;
www.howpeopleheal.net
)

Diane went from being a skeptical reporter spending four years interviewing hundreds of people who have healed in unconventional ways to being a healer herself. She is the author of
How People Heal: Exploring the Scientific Basis of Subtle
Energy in Healing
(Hampton Roads, 2003). Diane has a hands-on healing practice in Los Angeles and New York and also does long-distance healing via telephone.

Chapter 1: The Patriarchal Myth: The Origin of the
Mind/Body/Emotion Split

Anne Wilson Schaef,
When Society Becomes an Addict
(Harper & Row, 1987).

Riane Eisler, Ph.D.,
The Chalice and the Blade: Our History, Our Future
(Harper & Row, 1987).

Riane Eisler, Ph.D.,
Sacred Pleasure: Sex, Myth, and the Politics of the Body
(HarperSanFrancisco, 1995).

Chapter 3: Inner Guidance

Jerry and Esther Hicks,
The Vortex: Where the Law of Attraction Assembles All
Cooperative Relationships
(Hay House, 2009);
Money, and the Law of Attraction:
Learning to Attract Wealth, Health, and Happiness
(Hay House, 2008);
The Astonishing
Power of Emotions: Let Your Feelings Be Your Guide
(Hay House, 2007);
The Law of Attraction: The Basics of the Teachings of Abraham
(Hay House, 2006);
The Amazing Power of Deliberate Intent: Living the Art of Allowing
(Hay House, 2006);
Ask and It Is Given: Learning to Manifest Your Desires
(Hay House, 2004). Also see
www.abraham-hicks.com
.

Chapter 5: The Menstrual Cycle

Lara Owen,
Her Blood Is Gold: Celebrating the Power of Menstruation
(Archive Publishing, 2009).

The Red Web Foundation
(415-469-5425;
www.theredweb.org
)

The Red Web is dedicated to creating a positive view of the menstrual cycle (in its entirety from menarche through menopause) for girls and women through education and community. The group is also committed to women rediscovering meaning in their cycles because, as their website states, “when we learn how to live wisely with life-cycles, we learn to ground our self-esteem in profound internal wisdom. Body image and menstrual cycles are interlinking facets of women’s total health and well-being.”

For castor oil packs, please see resources for “Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding (DUB),” later in the resources for chapter 5.

Menastil

Menastil (available from Claire Ellen Products, 800-MENASTIL or 508-366-6311;
www.menastil.com
) is an effective and fast-acting topical roll-on product made from an extract of calendula petals and other essential oils, and clinically tested under FDA guidelines.

Acupuncture

Call the American Association of Oriental Medicine (866-455-7999 or 916-443-4770;
www.aaom.org
) to locate an acupuncturist near you.

Bupleurum (Xiao Yao Wan)

For menstrual cramps, Xiao Yao Wan is available through Quality Life Herbs (207-842-4929;
www.qualitylifeherbs.com
).

Indole-3-Carbinol
from Longevity Science is available through Emerson Ecologics (800-654-4432 or 603-656-9778;
www.emersonecologics.com
).

Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)

Seasonal Affective Disorder/Light Therapy

To purchase a full-spectrum light, contact
Light for Health
(800-468-1104 or 303-823-0274;
www.lightforhealth.com
).

Progesterone Cream

Progesterone cream 2 percent is available from a number of different sources. I have personally used the following preparation and find them comparable in quality and effectiveness. Pro-Gest is widely available through pharmacies and health food stores. Natural progesterone capsules are available through any formulary pharmacy. (See General Resources, above.)

Chinese Herbal Supplements:

Xiao Yao Wan Plus (also available as Soothing Flow) is a Chinese nutritional supplement that helps women with either PMS or perimenopausal symptoms. This supplement contains the herb peaonia, a well-known female tonic. Available from Quality Life Herbs (207-842-4929;
www.qualitylifeherbs.com
).

Dysfunctional Uterine Bleeding (DUB)

Castor Oil Packs

Castor oil packs are wonderful for healing menstrual problems, urinary tract infections, joint aches and pains, and abdominal distress. Applied to the upper chest, they also can relieve a cough. The usual treatment frequency is one hour three to five times a week. (Don’t use them during the heaviest days of the menstrual period.) Used once per week, they are also good preventive medicine. They have been shown to increase immune system functioning.

A castor oil pack is wool flannel saturated with castor oil, applied directly to the skin. On the side opposite the skin, a plastic sheet goes over the pack, and a heat source is applied. We highly recommend a hot water bottle for this purpose; though a heating pad can be used, a nonelectrical source of heat is preferred. Once a castor oil pack is made up, it can be stored for months in a plastic bag and reused over and over, simply adding more oil as necessary.

Castor oil and wool flannel are available from Emerson Ecologics (800-654-4432 or 603-656-9778;
www.emersonecologics.com
).

Preparing Our Daughters

See page 800 for information on the Red Web Foundation.

Joan Morais,
A Time to Celebrate: A Celebration of a Girl’s First Menstrual Period
(Lua Publishing, 2003);
www.joanmorais.com
.

Chapter 6: The Uterus

Endometriosis

Treatment Program,
St. Charles Medical Center, Bend, OR (541-383-6904;
www.endometriosistreatment.org
)

The Endometriosis Treatment Program is based on the pioneering surgical treatment of endometriosis developed by David Redwine, M.D. Women throughout the United States and Canada have been treated for their endometriosis pain upon referral from their physicians. The program publishes a very informative newsletter three times per year.

The Endometriosis Association (
414-355-2200;
www.endometriosisassn.org
)

This is a networking and educational organization for those with endometriosis.

Fibroids

Many medical centers have divisions devoted to the treatment of fibroids. Here are several examples.

Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Menstrual Disorders, Fibroids and Hysteroscopic Services
(800-223-2273, ext.46601 or 216-444-6601;
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/ob_gyn/menstrual_disorders
)

This arm of the famed Cleveland Clinic was designed to give women minimally invasive options to treat menstrual aberrations and alternatives to hysterec
Fibroids
tomy. The center also gives patients access to groundbreaking clinical trials, clinical research opportunities, and education programs.

Johns Hopkins Fibroid Center
(410-583-2749;
http://womenshealth.jhmi.edu/gyn/specialty_programs/fibroid_center.html
)

This fibroid treatment center specializes in state-of-the-art therapies and the rapid application of new research (such as magnetic resonance imaging and guided high-intensity ultrasound), with an emphasis on minimally invasive techniques.

See page 800 for natural progesterone and how to find an acupuncturist.

See General Resources above for formulary pharmacies.

Hysterectomy

See
chapter 14
resources for labs that perform salivary hormone testing.

Chapter 7: The Ovaries

See
chapter 5
resources for listing of full-spectrum light sources.

Genetic Counseling

If you’ve had a family member with ovarian cancer, you may want to determine whether or not you are at a high genetic risk. I’d recommend consulting with a genetics counselor or contacting the Gilda Radner Familial Ovarian Cancer Registry at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (800-682-7426 or 716-845-4503;
www.ovariancancer.com
).

Chapter 8: Reclaiming the Erotic

see
chapter 9
resources under “Stress Urinary Incontinence” for weighted cones for Kegel exercises.

Jade Egg Practice from Saida Désilets
(
www.thedesiletsmethod.com
)

Saida Désilets, Ph.D., author of
Emergence of the Sensual Woman
(Jade Goddess, 2006), describes how you can use a jade egg (a medium-sized, egg-shaped piece of jade, jadeite, or nephrite crystal) vaginally to develop dexterity, strength, flexibility, and tone. In addition to her book, she also offers a companion CD,
The
Jade Egg Practice
CD. The egg works by stimulating reflexology points, and although the egg itself is not necessary for learning the Jade Egg practice, it is very helpful.

Multiples.com

Jack Johnston, who manages the website
www.multiples.com
, has discovered that sexual energy can be greatly increased in the body through deep relaxation and the use of a special sound (detailed on his website). The site also includes a very supportive online community that is safe and has integrity. The orgasmic sound-trigger approach is also very therapeutic and healing for anyone who has had a history of sexual trauma. The twenty-minute practice of using this sound is deeply meditative. I highly recommend this unique approach for optimizing one’s sexual energy.

Chapter 9: Vulva, Vagina, Cervix, and Lower Urinary Tract

Isa Herrera,
Ending Female Pain: A Woman’s Manual
(BookSurge Publishing, 2009);
www.EndingFemalePain.com
.

Vulvodynia

Oxalate Content of Selected Foods
by the University of California San Diego Medical Center is available for $12, including shipping (but California residents, please add tax) from the university bookstore (800-520-7323, ask for Customer Service to order;
www.bookstore.ucsd.edu
). Low-oxalate recipes are also available from the
Vulvar Pain Foundation
(336-226-0704;
www.vulvarpainfoundation.org
).

National Vulvodynia Association
(301-299-0775;
www.nva.org
) provides a newsletter, support groups, and information services.

Nambudripad Allergy Elimination Technique
(NAET), Devi S. Nambudripad, M.D., D.C., L.Ac., Ph.D. (714-523-8900;
www.naet.com
)

Dr. Nambudripad is an acupuncturist and chiropractor who has had extensive experience both personally and professionally treating allergies. She has developed a system of allergy treatment that “reprograms the brain” so that one can get rid of allergies without avoiding allergens completely. She has written a book called
Say Goodbye to Your Allergies
(Delta, 1993) and actively trains health care practitioners in her innovative techniques. NAET has also been reported to help fibroids, endometriosis, and numerous other conditions. Write or call to find a practitioner in your area.