Childbearing Year

Soothing Sitz Bath, Healing Bath

Soothing Sitz Bath, Healing Bath
Soothes inflamed and tender tissues, heals trauma, lubricates

Soak 2 ounces/60g dried or 8 ounces/250g fresh mallow (malva neglecta) (pictured)
or comfrey roots, leaves, and/or flowers in 2 quarts/liters of cold water in a pot overnight.

Then bring to a boil.
Cover, remove from heat, and steep for 4–6 hours.
Strain.
Warm the liquid, pour it into a small tub and sit in it.
Alternately, pour it into a hot bath.

Or refrigerate and drink it.
A dose is a cup or more a day —heated or iced, sweetened or not — daily for at least ten days.

Excerpt from: Down There: Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman Way

Bladder Infections

Bladder Infections

excerpt from: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year

The blood volume increases 50% during pregnancy. Your kidneys, responsible for cleaning the blood, are called upon to work correspondingly harder, and your entire urinary system becomes more vulnerable to stress and infection. As you enter the last trimester of pregnancy, be alert for warning signs of bladder, or urinary tract, infections: an urgent and frequent impulse to urinate (often with little result), a burning sensation during urination, and a mild cramping and aching in the abdomen. Prompt treatment of early symptoms, and preventative action, are the safest course for bladder infections during pregnancy, as both herbs and medicines strong enough to cure these infections increase the stress on the kidneys and have other undesirable side effects. Non-symptomatic bladder infections discovered during routine prenatal urine sampling can be successfully treated with the stronger remedies listed last.

Preventing Bladder Infections

° Wear cotton underwear or no underwear; avoid tight polyester pants and pantyhose; bacteria thrive in the moist heat trapped by synthetic fibers.
° Drink plenty of fluids throughout the day and urinate as soon as you feel the urge; bacteria breed more easily and rapidly in concentrated and held urine.
° Wipe from front to back, and urinate after intercourse; bacteria are easily transferred to the bladder from rectum and surrounding tissues.
° Avoid bubble bath, bath oil, bath salts; bacterial growth is aided by the resulting change in normal acid/alkaline balance.
° Drink 5-10 cups of Nettle tea or infusion every week during the last trimester to strengthen the kidneys.

Remedies for Bladder Infections

° Unsweetened cranberry juice can stop a bladder infection that is just developing. The keys to successful use are 1) the juice must not be sweetened at all (no sugar, dextrose, corn syrup, maple syrup, honey, etc.); 2) the juice must be consumed liberally (an 8 ounce glass every hour for ten hours is not excessive); and 3) the juice must be started as soon as the first twinge or suspicion of infection occurs. Buy unsweetened cranberry juice or concentrate in health food stores, or prepare your own "juice" by blending a handful of fresh frozen berries with a cup of water in your blender. Sour!

° Vitamin C is helpful in acidifying the urine and "washing" out the bacteria. Doses of up to 500 mg per hour may be used. CAUTION: Large doses of vitamin C may cause loose stools.

 • Uva Ursi Arctostaphylos uva-ursi kills bacteria in the bladder. I have seen it clear up chronic bladder infections resistant to antibiotics and standard allopathic medicines. Because it is a strong diuretic, Uva Ursi requires cautious use during pregnancy. Brew one ounce of Uva Ursi leaves in a quart jar of boiling water for eight hours. Drink one cup of this infusion every twelve hours for the first two days, or in severe cases, one cup every four hours. Continue with at least one cup daily for another three days, even if the symptoms disappear sooner. Do not use Uva Ursi for more than ten days.

• Yarrow The astringency, antibacterial effect, and diuretic potency of Achillea millefolium is called for if Uva Ursi alone does not clear the bladder infection within five days. Use one half ounce Yarrow flowers and one half ounce Uva Ursi leaves in one quart of boiling water; steep 8 hours. Drink two or three cups daily for no more than five days.

CAUTION: Juniper berries, Horsetail/Shave Grass, and Buchu are contraindicated during pregnancy due to the stress they place on the kidneys.

 

excerpt from: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year

Spotting between periods

Spotting between periods

A caller on blogtalkradio says she has been reading Susun books, Down There and Childbearing year, and she would like to know if there are any herbs to help with spotting. Susun asks her some questions, about timing, and diet. She lists various reasons for spotting and gives some suggestions.
This audio is over 4:00 minutes long.

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Join Susun Weed on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call in with your questions or email ahead of time to [email protected]. 

Visit the link for more info:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed

Soothing Sitz Bath, Healing Bath

Soothing Sitz Bath, Healing Bath
Soothes inflamed and tender tissues, heals trauma, lubricates 

Soak 2 ounces/60g dried or 8 ounces/250g fresh mallow (pictured)
or comfrey roots, leaves, and/or flowers in 2 quarts/liters of cold water in a pot overnight.
Then bring to a boil.
Cover, remove from heat, and steep for 4–6 hours.
Strain.
Warm the liquid, pour it into a small tub and sitz in it.
Alternately, pour it into a hot bath.
Or refrigerate and drink it. A dose is a cup or more a day —heated or iced, sweetened or not — daily for at least ten days.

Excerpt from: Down There: Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman Way

Help for Vaginal Problems

Help for Vaginal Problems

These restore healthy acidity to the vagina

* Yogurt orally and vaginally
* Acidophilus inserted in the vagina
* Ascorbic acid inserted in the vagina
* Meditation
* Sitz bath, finger bath, or douche with:
2 tblspns/30 ml of white vinegar in one qt/ltr of water, or 1 cup hydrogen peroxide in 3 cups/750 ml water, or
2 tblspns/30 ml of Betadine solution in one qt/ltr water
Note: Betadine is iodine; it dries out vaginal tissues.
* Sitz bath, finger bath, or douche with astringent herbs

Read the whole excerpt from Down There: Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman Way
http://downtherewisewomanway.com/excerpts.html

Spotting between periods

Spotting between periods

A caller on blogtalkradio says she has been reading Susun books, Down There and Childbearing year, and she would like to know if there are any herbs to help with spotting. Susun asks her some questions, about timing, and diet. She lists various reasons for spotting and gives some suggestions.
This audio is over 4:00 minutes long.

---

Join Susun Weed on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call in with your questions or email ahead of time to [email protected]. 

Visit the link for more info:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed

Spotting between periods

Spotting between periods

A caller on blogtalkradio says she has been reading Susun books, Down There and Childbearing year, and she would like to know if there are any herbs to help with spotting. Susun asks her some questions, about timing, and diet. She lists various reasons for spotting and gives some suggestions.
This audio is over 4:00 minutes long.

 

---

Join Susun Weed on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call in with your questions or email ahead of time to [email protected]. 

Visit the link for more info:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed

Pap Smear

Pap Smear

George Papanicolaou, a pathologist, pioneered this non-invasive screening test in the 1920s. It is not diagnostic. False negative results will occur 10-20 percent of the time.

The Art of Suzanne GrayA Pap smear is a sample of the tissues of the cervix (and sometimes vagina). In order to collect this sample, women are asked to lay back and put their feet up in stirrups. If this position makes you uncomfortable in any way, tell the examiner you want to put your feet on the examining table. With your knees spread, a speculum is gently fitted into your vagina and opened, making the cervix visible. Breathing deeply and relaxing will make any strange sensations easier to bear.

A small implement and a tiny brush are used to collect cells from the outside of the cervix and from inside the cervical os, like using your fingernail to scrape cells from the inside of your cheek, it is not painful, and there is rarely any bleeding.

The collected cells are either preserved in liquid (best) or smeared directly on a slide. Liquid preservation is required for HPV-DNA testing. Pathologists "read" Pap smears with a microscope, looking for cellular changes, such as cells with large black nuclei (cancer).

The vagina is best kept in its natural state for at least 24 hours prior to the Pap smear: avoid douching, intercourse, spermicides, vaginal hygiene products and sprays, and the insertion of boluses, pessaries, or hormonal creams. For the best results, keep it totally natural for three days before your Pap. Cancel your Pap smear if you are menstruating or have had vigorous sex the night before, as it won’t be accurate.

The original classification of Pap smear results - into four broad categories - created confusion on the part of patients and doctors, and resulted in hundreds of thousands of women being frightened into harsh treatments.

Since 1988, a clearer system, the Bethesda, has been used. It was hoped that expanding the categories and giving more specific information about the cells in the smear would limit the amount of over-treatment. Unfortunately, the new classifications have doubled the number of women with abnormal results, so, instead of fewer needless hysterectomies and drug prescriptions, twice as many women are told they need treatment. ....

Click here to Read the rest of this article

Order Down There: Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman Way

 

Postpartum pain

Postpartum pain

A caller on blogtalkradio says her friend just gave birth and is experiencing pain from stitches. Susun says she does not like to do 2nd hand questions but since it's a general question she'll give some suggestions. She talks about Nourishing herbal infusions and herbal oils.

This audio is almost 8 minutes long.

 

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Join Susun Weed on blogtalkradio, Tuesday nights 7:30-9:30 pm EST. Call or Skype in: 1-646-929-2463, with your questions or email ahead of time to [email protected]. 

Visit the link for more info:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed

 

Witch Hazel stops bleeding and more

Witch Hazel stops bleeding and more

Susun talks more about Witch Hazel, including it's ability to stop bleeding. Midwives use it for post partum bleeding. She also talks about other uses.