Endometrial
Polyps
Dear Susun Weed,
I am a 49-year-old woman in perimenopause. Two years
ago I had an endometrial polyp discovered on pelvic
ultrasound, which was surgically removed via hysteroscopy
(and
general anesthesia). It was benign. At the time, my
gynecologist told me that she would be
less inclined to remove endometrial polyps that I might
develop in the future since this
was benign.
About three months ago I had another pelvic ultrasound,
where three(!) new endometrial
polyps were found! The radiologist is "95%"
sure they're benign. I was told to watch them
for 3-4 months and then return for another ultrasound,
which I will be doing in January or February.
My gynecologist told me the "preferred"
treatment would be to, once again, remove the
m surgically with another hysteroscopy and more general
anesthesia. (I also have GERD,
which means I would need to be intubated so things don't
reflux up into my lungs, putting
me at risk for pneumonia).
In your new "Menopausal Years" book, you mention
remedies for women with various gynecological conditions,
including mine. You also mention these won't be published
until
2005. I am urgently hoping that you might be willing
to suggest a remedy to me
for my polyps, as I desperately do not want to undergo
any more invasive procedures
and it seems that the risk of these polyps being cancer
is very low.
I am currently taking supplements of vitex and black
cohosh (dong quai makes my
breasts hurt), and am drinking ginger root tea on occasion.
Can you recommend a
remedy for me that will keep the polyps from growing
or make them resolve (their
complete disappearance being preferable)?
I am also hoping you can respond sooner rather than
later, as I am under some pressure
to schedule the ultrasound. Any help you can provide
is gratefully appreciated.
Thank you. Tina
Susun's Response: herbs and endometrial
polyps
Dear Tina
I believe that dang quai will increase the growths.
I would think you might wish to avoid
it and am glad you listened to you body. I am not so
sure about the other herbs you are
taking, especially if they are in the form of capsules,
I am uncomfortable with possible
side effects.
Are you drinking nourishing herbal infusions daily?
Red clover infusion is the best
anti-cancer herb going. In your situation I would put
off the surgery and drink at least
two quarts of red clover infusion (not pills, not tea,
not tincture; recipe for infusion in
my books) per week.
In fact, I do that without having a problem cuz I don't
want to worry about cancer.
Another choice is to use tincture of mushrooms or to
eat lots of mushrooms. All of
them except the button ones are anti-cancer.
Using herbs to keep ourselves well nourished is more
profitable than using them as
drugs in green coats. Do you have my New Menopausal
Years book? It could offer
you some help in using infusions, seaweed, yogurt, and
other healthy things you could
be doing instead of surgery.
Hope this helps.
Green Blessings, Susun Weed
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Endometrial
Hyperplasia
Hello Susun. I am 59 years old and my periods have only
just recently stopped. I
have been diagnosed with endometrial hyperplasia.
I take a tablespoon of flax seed oil powder daily,
and a teaspoon of spirulina powder
daily and some whey powder. Could this cause an estrogenic
effect on my uterus. Is
flax seed something I should avoid? Is it estrogenic?
I do not take any hormones and my diet consists of
75% plant, vegetable and grain
with some chicken and fish. I also take supplements
including vitamins and anti-oxidants
and calcium and magnesium supplements.
My main concern is whether or not I am contributing
to an estrogenic effect by taking
the flax seed powder and the spirulina or just the flax
seed.
Also do you have any suggestions of what I can do to
counteract the thickening of my
uterine wall? My physician has taken a biopsy and is
suggesting a possible
hysterectomy depending on the results.
Thank you for your consideration and time.
Ruth
Susun's
Response:
I agree
that you have decreased your well being by taking "soft
drugs."
My lipid chemist friends say flax oil is cancer in a
can. If you wish to take flax,
buy the whole seeds and grind them just before use.
Spirulina and other blue green algae are actually poisonous.
You will get more vitamins
and minerals and protein from drinking nettle infusion,
and it will save you a lot of money.
Whey is healthy, but no milk product that is powdered
is good for our health as the
drying process damages the proteins.
Did you have symptoms that alerted you to the endometrial
hyperplasia? What were
they? Is this the first test? Hyperplasia is a variable
condition and often goes away with
no treatment, though it may progress and even become
cancer. Surgery is a dramatic
way to deal with this. I would not even consider hysterectomy
as a way to deal with
hyperplasia.
All plant foods contain phytoestrogens, but only the
ones in soy can harm us. Best forms
of soy are miso and tamari. If you are worried about
cancer then it is a good idea to
avoid soy milk, tofu, and other processed forms of soy.
Supplements are soft drugs too and are not good for
health. Ascorbic acid is the favorite
food of many types of cancer. Beta-carotene and alpha
tocopherol also promote cancer.
Why not rely on your diet? Women who take calcium supplements
are twice as likely to
break a bone as women who get their calcium from greens
and dairy products. I have
not taken any supplements in 25 years and my health
is better than the vast majority of
pill takers' health. I drink my nourishing infusions.
Hope this helps.
Green Blessings, Susun Weed
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Perimenopausal
Migraines
hi there,
I'm a star sister and I was wondering what you know about
migraines associated with perimenopause. I never had headaches
before and for the last few months, right
before my period they are so bad I don't even know how
to describe the agony...
any suggestions?
in joy, Temi
Susun's Response:
menopause migraines (there is no such thing as perimenopause
!!!)
Dear Temi
First, please refrain from referring to yourself as
being in perimenopause. I mean, who
was ever in peripuberty? This is a put-down phrase being
used by male doctors to
put menopausal women in their "place" and
it is even worse when we pick it up and use it.
You are menopausal my dear, and entering your menopausal
years. Nothing "peri" about it!
That said, have you read the section of my book New
Menopausal Years the WIse
Woman Way on headaches? pages 135-137 gives lots of
ways to help you deal. One
of my favorites is: Get a bottle of skullcap tincture.
Get a bottle of hypericum tincture (St. Joan's/John's
wort). NO CAPSULES. Tinctures! At the first sign of
a headache, take
a dropperful of the hypericum and 5-25 drops of the
skullcap. Repeat every five minutes
if necessary. Note that skullcap can make you very sleepy.
Green Blessings, Susun Weed
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Menopausal
Information-Infections
What I need is more help and suggestions for memory
and cognitive problems.
Also for chronic yeast infections--actually other kinds
of infections too. I
have an ongoing eye infection and athletes foot that
are also not curable
by means of non-prescription or prescription drugs.
I not only have
menopausal problems but CFIDS and Fibromylagia too.
A lot of the symptoms I know how to work with, but
I think the toughest are the ones
I mentioned. I just treat myself every day wih vinegar
douches and acidophilus for the
yeast infection and boric acid for my eyes and Lamisil
for my feet.
For my memory I do everything I know to eat and sleep
as well as I can and then to
be careful, organized and double check myself all the
time. These problems are serious!
Thanks!!! Cecelia
Susun's Response: Re: help for infections
Dear Cecelia
Sounds like you are really busy taking care of yourself.
Good for you. Do you drink
nourishing herbal infusions? I find they are the best
support my body and immune system
can have. Their minerals help the immune system counter
chronic infections.
Also, have you tried using Echinacea tincture? You say
that your infections are not
curable by non-prescription drugs, but you don't say
if you have tried any herbs.
Fungus infections are known to be difficult to treat
and usually the main problem is that
the immune system is weak. Vaginal infections are often
passed back and forth between
partners;
have you treated yours? Daily douching can actually
cause chronic yeast infections.
Maybe you could take a break from that? Instead, eat
at least half a cup of plain
yogurt daily.
Of course you avoid white sugar, which depresses the
immune system and encourages all infections. There is
a new chapter on fibromyalgia in my revised New Menopausal
Years
the Wise Woman Way. Perhaps some of the remedies there
could assist you in feeling
less pain and distress.
Green Blessings, Susun Weed
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Ovulation
pain
Dear Susun,
I'm 43 and mom of two children. While I've experienced
ovulation pretty regularly
over the years, it really hasn't changed too much in
its nature. This month it's pretty
painful and accompanied by greater than normal digestive
distress/constipation.
I'm wondering if there might something that would be
helpful in relieving the discomfort.
I've been drinking nettle infusion for a few months
now (daily, approx. 2 cups) and
taking vitex tincture (dropperful, couple times a day
for several weeks now). Other than
that, my diet is varied and healthful. I'm vegetarian,
but eat dairy (yogurt every day) and
eggs. I do sometimes drink Black tea (or chai) a few
times a week and probably don't
get enough rest.
I've been reading about the Wise Woman Tradition and
am learning a different
Perspective in looking at my problems. However, I'm
having a hard time understanding
what my ovulation pain is opening up to me.
I guess I haven't become accustomed to thinking in this
way yet, and sometimes I end
up trying too hard and totally losing touch with my
intuition!
Any suggestions or comments you might have would be
greatly appreciated!
Lucy
Susun's
Response: try this
Dear Lucy,
Would prefer to talk with you, rather than write. I
can be so much more thorough
and specific. You have three hours of talk time with
your correspondence course
(I think you have paid in full).
I suspect this is a normal menopausal change. Try this.
Write down three things that
are the problem with the problem. In other words, what
is the problem with having
this pain? Does it scare you (maybe cancer)? Does it
keep you from doing things?
After writing these three problems down, please reword
them so they start with the word
"I." If you wrote "It hurts me,"
change it to "I feel pain." This is the voice
of the victim.
Now for the hard part. Rewrite once again, this time
writing from the point of view
of the powerful person. "I feel pain" becomes
"I want to feel pain." Yes, you will find
yourself saying, writing statements that seem to
make no sense. Who would want to feel
pain? But the voice of power is the voice of the one
who is open to all experiences,
including pain.
One more thing to do and you are done: Get two pillows.
Sit on one and be the victim.
Say one of the victim voice statements. Move to the
other pillow and be the voice of
power and say the opposing statement. See if you can
get a dialog going with the
two voices.
We will have plenty to talk about after you do this.
Good luck and Green Blessings, Susun Weed
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Menopause
and Getting Pregnant?
Dear Susun,
I have used your menopause book for a couple of years
and have great respect
for your advice.
QUESTION: How do I know how long to wait before having
sex without protection??
I do not want to become pregnant. The last real period
was about a year and a half ago.
Spotting (no tampax) and symptoms once 6 months ago.
Otherwise it has been over
two years since I was anything like regular.
My husband and I really want to know..... if you know
what I mean. It means a lot to
me and I don't know where to find the information.
I found your interactive site interesting BUT none
of the questions were answered.
Did I miss something??
Anyway if you could help me on this I would surely
appreciate it. And please put me
on the mailing list.
Thanks a lot. Vicky
Susun's
Response:
Dear Vicky,
There was a woman in one of my classes who got pregnant
three years after her
last period. She was nursing the baby at class!! So
what can I tell you. If those sperm
and eggs want to get together, they will find a way.
I personally got pg on birth control
pills.
If you want to be certain it is safe for him to ejaculate
into you, then you may want to
take a full teaspoon of wild carrot seeds, chew them
up in food, daily for another year
or two. The woman above did say it was with a new lover
and we all said how easy it
is to get pregnant in that first flush of sex and love,
so maybe you and your husband are
past that dangerous point, and maybe not. There are
no guarantees when it comes to
preventing pregnancy.
Good luck and
Green Blessings, Susun Weed
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Cancer,
Menopause and taking Hormones
Dear Susun:
I heard you speaking on the Deborah Ray radio show
and I need some help with
menopause. I am 54, was diagnosed with breast cancer
at 42, had chemotherapy,
no radiation.
Since cancer I have struggled with the affects of menopause.
My doctor didn't want me
to be on ERT/HRT until I crossed the 10 year period
after which he suggested I
receive hormones. I am now taking Estriol 3/prog 100
mg from Women's International
Pharmacy
(2 per day)
Since starting these all symptoms have disappeared
except lack of libido. I have become
more and more concerned about taking hormones and have
recently decided that I
don't want to take them anymore. My question--is Estriol
safe for me and if not what
can I do to combat the bad affects of menopause--ie--insomnia,
depression, hot flashes,
urinary infections. Thanks for any help you can give
me.
June
Susun's
Response: taking hormones is a kind of Russian roulette
Dear June
I have written a 300 page answer to your questions:
New Menopausal Years the
Wise Woman Way. It is filled with simple effective remedies
to help you with the
problems you mention: sleep, flashes, depression, urinary
infections, and lots more.
So far as I am concerned, taking hormones is a kind
of Russian roulette. Some women
seem to avoid the problems, others seem to be deeply
harmed. If you are going to
take estrogen, use the very lowest dose you can get.
So far, we know that it promotes
uterine cancer, breast cancer, gall bladder disease,
strokes, and heart disease. All of
which seem far worse to me than a few years of sleep
disturbance and hot flashes.
Especially, since there is no benefit whatsoever to
taking estrogen.
Oh, and the hot new disease is Female Androgen Deficiency
(FAD, haha, but true).
Among the symptoms: lack of libido. Among the known
causes: use of ERT or estrogen supplements in any form.
Menopause is not a problem, it is a passage. Yes, it
is not an easy passage. Neither
is birth nor puberty. Gaining power is usually difficult.
Taking hormones does not cure
any problems, it puts them off. When you stop taking
the hormones, no matter what
age you are, you will go through menopause. Why not
do it now? Waiting until you
are sixty or seventy to go through menopause is not
my idea of a good time.
Green Blessings, Susun Weed
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Natural
Contraceptives + Menopause
Hello, dear Susun,
I am very, very happy that I have found your web site.
It is like a present, finally I may
find a Wise Woman.
My name is Sigrid. I am living in Germany and I am
43 years old .I am very interested
in natural contraception and menopause. It is terrible
what many doctors say about
that subject. I am looking for an alternative. There
must be a way to go through this
time without hormones ,I feel this. I refuse all chemical
contraceptives and would like
to receive some good tips from a Wise Woman who knows
about the cycle of women.
How can I prevent without chemical contraceptives (up
till now I took the morning
temperature to find out the ovulation and I noticed
the mucus of the vagina) .?
Are there some herbal prescriptions?
Can I learn about that in workshops etc...?
The problem is that I am in Germany ,so I can't visit
your seminars, do you come to
Germany ,too? Or is there a person I can get in touch
with?
I would be very pleased if you could answer me.
Sigrid
Susun's
Response: Hello to you in Germany
Dear Sigrid,
We are so very glad to hear from you! We are including
you in both of our mailing lists,
one via postal mail and one via email. Susun is away
in Florida now, or she would write
to you herself. I am her daughter, Justine. Here are
some answers to your questions:
There is a section on birth control on our menopause
site:
http://www.menopause-metamorphosis.com/An_Excerpt-102-birth_control.htm
Also, you may find some helpful hints at sister Zeus'
site:
http://www.sisterzeus.com/
http://www.sisterzeus.com/List2.htm
http://www.geocities.com/sister_zeus/Vit_C.htm
Susun has taught in Germany in the past, but she is
not scheduled for an event this year.
Possibly next year....Maybe she will have an idea for
you of who might be there now
to study with.
Also, have you considered a correspondence course with
Susun Weed? She has
students from all around the world! You can learn more
at:
http://www.susunweed.com/8%20correspond_sw.htm
http://www.susunweed.com/8%20correspond-2_sw.htm
You can order Susun's books in German (and in English
as well at the amazon site
below) if you are interested...They are reasonably priced
and filled with really good
information to nurture the wise woman in you.
http://www.orlanda.de/sites/fr-gesu.htm
http://www.orlanda.de/sites/inhalte/buch.idc?Param=46
http://www.amazon.de
OR
http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/field-keywords=susun%20weed&index=books-
Looking forward to hearing from you again soon.
Sending love,
Justine
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NEW Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way:
Alternative Approaches for Women 30 - 90
by Susun S. Weed
Foreword by Juliette de Bairacli Levy. 304 pages, index, magical illustrations. Completely revised with 100 new pages. All the remedies women know and trust plus hundreds of new ones. New sections on thyroid health, fibromyalgia, hairy problems, male menopause, and herbs for women taking hormones. Recommended by Susan Love MD and Christiane Northrup MD.
Retails for $16.95
Read Juliette de Levy-Bairacli's introduction:
This book should be in the hands of every woman, of every race,
no matter what age, worldwide.
Read some excerpts:
Building Better Bones
Kundalini Meditation
Order New Menopausal Years in our Bookshop
"If this book had not been given to me by a close friend, I would be experiencing menopause in an entirely different manner. The Wise Woman approach to the various and unexpected discomforts and joys of the Change has motivated me to seize this experience to transform my life for the better." |
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