Menopause Metamorphosis

Vaginal dryness

greetings to Susun,
now that I have been successful in curing my shingles by following your advice can you please help me with another problem?
I have been suffering from vaginal dryness for the past five years as well as low libido. I lead a clean life. No processed foods, I do my own cooking. I take vitamins. My homeopathic gynecologist has tried me on estriol .5 mg from a compounding pharmacy, used vaginally, but that has not helped. It just made my breasts swell. Now I am using hyaluronic cream vaginally daily for 2 weeks. I don't think its helping me.
I hope you can please help me.

Thank you.

 

Hello Joana,

Susun's book 'Down There' has a whole section on vaginal dryness that I will include a link below for. For now I will quote her help box:

Help! Vaginal Dryness

Expect results in 3-10 days

• Apply chickweed oil to labia and vagina, as far as you can comfortably reach, 1-2 times a day.

• Eat at least a 1/2 cup of yogurt a day. (plain, full fat)

• Eat more phytoestrogenic foods, like lentils, red clover infusion, whole grains, and cooked root vegetables.

• Give yourself 7 orgasms a week.

Also;

• Oatstraw baths are a classic curative used in alpine regions/Switzerland. They relax and soften vaginal tissues and restore health to the nerves. Make a gallon of oatstraw infusion, strain the liquid, heat and add to hot bath. Save some to drink. One woman swears that drinking oatstraw infusion for two weeks turned her desert "down there" into a flowing oasis!

Susun's book has a lot more information found here http://www.herbalmedicinehealing.com/store/item_view.php?id=1000578&item=down-there:-sexual-and-reproductive-health-the-wise-woman-way

You can find chickweed oil here http://www.catskillmountainherbals.com/herbal-oils.htm#chickweed

And a how to video on making oatstraw and red clover infusions can be found here https://youtu.be/2QRyWYuGQ98   https://youtu.be/3ouRjEs_TyQ

Also, You may want to look into the other nourishing herbal infusions for vitamin and minerals instead of taking supplements which can be disruptive to vaginal flora. The other infusions besides the redclover and oatstraw are linden, comfrey, nettle.. 

Thank you so much for writing in and please let me know if you have any more questions.​

blessings,
Kim
Wise Woman Team

www.wisewomanweb.com
www.wisewomanbookshop.com
www.wisewomanuniversity.org
www.wisewomanmentor.com

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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

 

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If you're ready to go deeper with your herbal studies, join Susun on her new Mentorship website. Get new content weekly such as the expanded herbal ezine, replays of teleseminars, videos, audio of Susuns past lectures, many articles by Susun, and even personal one on one mentorship from Susun.
www.wisewomanmentor.com

Candida

To combat candida & the accompanying nausea, I'm starting a candida diet.

Are there any herbs that help in any way? Inside or outside.

Thanks. Grateful for your books during menopause. A friend & I grew herbs, made tinctures, salves, &_food. Easy passage.

Thank you for any help.
Donna

 

Hi Donna,

Susun has addressed candida before, so I can give you a number of resources of hers that you can go over it. The typical candida diet isn’t something that Susun has found to be helpful, so you will probably find the information below to perhaps be opposite of your diet – although I am not sure exactly what you are following…   http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/Weed_letter_Mar-02.htm#q2

 

Susun's Response:

“Every healthy human has candida in their gut. It is one of the most important organisms of the 400 molds, yeasts, bacteria, and fungi that colonize our intestines. Without these microbial helpers we would be unable to digest Any food at all. The problem is not having candida, But not having the other helpers, thus causing the candida to grow. Your diet needs to include high concentrations of fermented foods -- yogurt, miso, sourdough bread, home brewed wine and beer, sauerkraut, and cheeses like camembert and brie -- not to be devoid of them.”

 

Susun has also talked about candida during her health hotline blogtalk radio show:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed/2013/08/06/ask-herbal-health-expert-susun-weed-and-psychic-elizabeth-joyce-wise-woman

 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed/2013/09/24/ask-herbal-expert-susun-weed-and-natural-alignment-with-kathleen-porter

 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed/2014/11/19/ask-herbal-health-expert-susun-weed-terra-gifts-steve-shaft

 

One of Susun’s articles more indepth:  http://www.naturalbloom.com/articles/herbal-medicine-290/

 

Susun also discusses vaginal yeast a lot in her book, Down There, Sexual and Reproductive Health the Wise Woman Way – some of the suggestions she discusses there:

 

“Maitake are mushrooms that specifically inhibit and destroy candida.

Women with chronic infections benefit the most. A dose is ½ gram daily for a month, increasing by ½ gram a month to a maximum of 3 grams daily. A cup of fennel seed or ginger root tea will relieve the severe gas pains that will result from use of maitake.” Pg. 147

 

“The Journal of Reproductive Medicine reports that boric acid cured 98 percent of women with chronic, drug-resistant yeast infections. To use: Fill 00 gelatin caps (sold at health food stores) with boric acid USP (sold at drugstores). Insert one in the vagina nightly before bed for two weeks.” Pg. 149

 

Also a youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trd4lZiBn-8

 

You are also welcome to call into the health hotline and discuss it further with Susun directly. She holds the hotline each Tuesday from 7:30pm-9pm Eastern, http://www.blogtalkradio.com/susunweed, (646) 929-2463

blessings,
Kim
Wise Woman Team

www.wisewomanweb.com
www.wisewomanbookshop.com
www.wisewomanuniversity.org
www.wisewomanmentor.com

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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

 

---

If you're ready to go deeper with your herbal studies, join Susun on her new Mentorship website. Get new content weekly such as the expanded herbal ezine, replays of teleseminars, videos, audio of Susuns past lectures, many articles by Susun, and even personal one on one mentorship from Susun.
www.wisewomanmentor.com

Menopause: What's Next?

Menopause: What's Next?

Join Susun as she discusses Menopause: What's Next? Strong Bones, Hale Hearts and Juicy Fun, part 1., on her Time Monk Radio show.
This audio is just over 12 minutes in length.
Enjoy!

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If you're ready to go deeper with your herbal studies, join Susun on her Mentorship website. Get new content weekly such as the expanded herbal ezine, replays of teleseminars, videos, audio of Susuns past lectures, many articles by Susun, and even personal one on one mentorship from Susun.
www.wisewomanmentor.com

Healthy Vagina

Healthy Vagina

The vagina is a muscular, mucus-lined passage that connects a woman’s outer genitals with her uterus. When we speak of sexual penetration, it is the vagina — not the cervix, the part of the uterus which projects into the vagina, or the uterus itself — that is penetrated. During sexual arousal, the vagina lengthens, opens, and raises a sensitive bump called the G spot.

For thousands of years, men have perpetuated the belief that the vagina is an inert, hollow receptacle which can be penetrated and filled at their will and whim. But tens of thousands of years ago, when women told the stories, the vagina was honored. (And a universe of thanks to Eve Ensler for The Vagina Monologues which has, at least, made it acceptable to say the word “vagina.”)

This vagina, it goes without need of saying one would wish, is alive and sensitive. It is responsive and inherently capable of letting its wishes and desires be known. The vagina, and its health or lack thereof, is deeply connected to a woman’s sense of safety.

Modern women are trained to view their vaginas as dirty and smelly. That’s another misconception. A healthy vagina has a pleasant odor, a slightly sour taste, and is naturally “self-cleaning.” A healthy vagina secretes clear or milky fluids which protect the delicate vaginal tissues. These fluids are heavier and more slippery during ovulation.

The vagina contains health-promoting micro-organisms, as well as microbes that can overgrow and cause symptoms. In the healthy vagina, glucose exuded from the blood serum is eaten by vaginal flora and metabolized into lactic acid. This acidifies the vagina, promoting healthy flora and depressing the disrupters. If there is too much glucose or too few flora, the acidity of the vagina is compromised and infection — from inherent organisms or transmitted organisms — is likely. For health, wash your vaginal area only with plain water, or very dilute vinegar, not soap, which is alkaline.

Antibiotics and antibacterial agents including antibacterial soaps and essential oils kill protective vaginal micro-organisms. Taking antibiotics doubles the risk of developing a vaginal infection.

Celibacy, lesbianism, and double monogamy are life-style choices that cut down on the number of infectious organisms introduced into the vagina. But nuns, lesbians, and monogamous women can still get vaginal infections.

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

Birth Control

Birth Control for Menopausal Women

Step 1. Collect information . . . Birth control, never simple or easy, is complicated incredibly by the erratic ovulations and unpatterned menses of the premenopausal and menopausal years. Remember your high school chums who unexpectedly had a little baby brother or sister? The biological imperative to reproduce doesn't die without a struggle. This section is for those who don't want to have a(nother) child. If you do, go to page 57. Step 2. Engage the energy . . . ~ Barrier methods (diaphragms, cervical caps, and condoms) are good choices for menopausal women. But the spermicides used with them may provoke vaginal yeast infections, bladder infections, and dryness. ~Try an erotic massage instead of intercourse. Use a special lubricant, like coconut oil. Light candles; buy a bouquet of flowers. Take your time. Step 3. Nourish and tonify . . . ~ Ejaculation control and withdrawl won't prevent conception for a woman in the fullness of her fertility, but it will for most menopausal women. And, it's a womderful way to nourish intimacy in a realtionship. ~ Self-pleasuring is safe sex for menopausal women. Guaranteed to not result in pregnancy and promotes health, too! Let Betty Dodson help you with her self-loving books and tapes (page 64). Your mid-life mate may appreciate learning that sexual pleasure is more than penetration. Lesbianism and celibacy also work very well. Step 4. Stimulate/Sedate . . . ~ Get him (and his testicles) in hot water. Sperm are easily killed at temperatures over 110F. if he sits in hot water for 15-25 minutes a day for six weeks, he will shoot blanks for at least three months. A vasectomy is even safer, and lasts longer. ~ Women find a teaspoon of wild carrot seeds (Daucus carota or Queen Anne's Lace) eaten in food daily is an incredibly effective way to prevent pregnancy. Step 5b. Use drugs . . . ~ Doctors who used to tell menopausal women to stop taking birth control pills, now urge them to start, then switch to "replacement" therapy. Step 6. Break and enter . . . ~ Remove your IUD if it causes heavy menstrual periods or flooding, common menopausal problems which can be serious threats to your health. ~Sterilization and hysterectomy are extreme forms of birth control for menopausal women who will soon need no birth control of any kind.   If you liked this excerpt by Susun S. Weed, you will want 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

 

Red Tents Womb Visionary DeAnna L'am

Red Tents Womb Visionary DeAnna L'am

Susun interviews DeAnna L'am.
‘Womb Visionary’ DeAnna L'am is a motivational speaker, workshop leader, and a trail blazer who defined the last missing piece in women's psyche today: harnessing the spiritual force hidden in both Menstruation and Menopause. She has been leading workshops and certifying facilitators nationally and internationally for over 30 years. DeAnna is author of: • Becoming Peers - Mentoring Girls Into Womanhood • A Diva’s Guide to Getting Your Period And founder of: • Red Moon School of Empowerment for Women & Girls™ • Purple Moon – Menopause as a Spiritual Journey • Red Tents In Every Neighborhood – Global Network • International Red Tent Day
Visit DeAnna at: www.deannalam.com



this episode Q&A includes:
• excessive sweating- drink stinging nettle infusion to lower cortisol and apply witch hazel..
• essential oils, especially oil of oregano put in ear can perforate the ear drum...
• whole onion in skin baked and put over the ear for ear problems..
• inviting a lost loved one to communicate with in dreams..
• diarrhea- slippery elm balls to neutralize poisons in the intestines, helped lining to become healthier, helps stop diarrhea..
• herpes simplex 2- stopped medication- herbal options- schisandra berry, echinacea, burdock, st joans, self heal- check out Susun's book 'Down There' for a lot more info..
• kitten with keratosis/cyst- chickweed tincture in milk..
• extremely sore breasts around menstruation- vitex berry tincture...
• upcoming shows on antidepressant herbs on Susun's Time Monk series..

Lubrication post-menopause

Susan,

Is there a way to lubricate the vagina to get it active again after a hysterectomy and prolonged inactivity? Sure could use some advice!!!
Many thanks for all your writings and teaching over the years. I have benefited in so many ways already.

 

Hello Julie,

 

Susun recommends motherwort tincture to help with lubrication and building up of vaginal walls… always drink the nourishing herbal infusions, especially rather than sodas, coffees… plenty of organic good fats – butter, sardines, yogurts… Susun's book The New Menopausal Years is a great resource -- Susun has a lot of suggestions in the articles below as well ... 

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/October08/childbearing.htm

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/March08/grandmother.htm

http://menopause-metamorphosis.com/An_Excerpt-115-dry_vagina.htm

 

blessings,
Kim
Wise Woman Team

www.wisewomanweb.com
www.wisewomanbookshop.com
www.wisewomanuniversity.org
www.wisewomanmentor.com

---

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

 

---

If you're ready to go deeper with your herbal studies, join Susun on her new Mentorship website. Get new content weekly such as the expanded herbal ezine, replays of teleseminars, videos, audio of Susuns past lectures, many articles by Susun, and even personal one on one mentorship from Susun.
www.wisewomanmentor.com

Advice to Increase Libido

I [sic] like to know why I never feel like having sex. I am 59 years old and I need help... 

Hi,

What you are experiencing is normal as menopause progresses. Often times our energies focus on feeding other parts of our life that may have been ignored. Make sure you are eating healthy, whole foods - drink plenty of infusions. Oatstraw infusions are especially helpful for increasing libido.

 From Susun: "My Rx for your problem would sound like this: first, you must have 7 orgasms a week whether you want them or not, preferably alone. Second, you must not attempt intercourse until you have had at least one orgasm. Third, you must make a list of 100 sexual things to do besides intercourse. Infusion (not tea, not capsules, not tincture) of oatstraw is well known for increasing sexual desire. It is safe to drink as much as a quart a day for as long as you wish.

Most of the postmenopausal women I talk to are interested in sex, but don't much care for intercourse anymore. Certainly true for me. After some minor sulking, my sweetheart got with the new program and we are both happy with our intimacies now. Hope this helps you."

blessings,

Kim

Wise Woman Team

www.wisewomanweb.com

www.wisewomanbookshop.com

www.wisewomanuniversity.org

You can get your health questions answered by Susun in one of two ways. Join the health hotline teleseminar on Monday and Thursday evenings 8pm EST, through the winter months. Or you may register for a private telephone consultation. You can also join the free women's health forum where hundreds of wise woman can help you. Sign up for the free herbal healing ezine, filled with wise woman wit and wisdom. Visit the Wise Woman Bookshop for online university, gift shop, bookshop, digital downloads, and more. Go to www.susunweed.com for a complete list of offerings including radio show and free videos.

NEW Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way

Hello,
 
I have a signed copy of Susun's first book on menopause. I see there is another one now. Is it very different?  I wouldn't like to buy a book that is mostly the same.
 
Please Advise,

Hello, there are some parts that are very much the same, but the new edition is nearly 100 pages longer. There is a lot more material added, from the decade more of thousands of women Susun worked with and heard from, and from her own personal experience with her transition.  Also Susun's stance on a few things changed, primarily on unfermented soy products and progesterone creams.  If you are unsure perhaps you could check out a copy through your local library and browse yourself.  

I very much understand the question.  I have often found reprints to have little more than a few page layout or simple word changes.  I more often opt for reading the new one and taking the few notes in the old, that for buying the new one.  In this case I find the new edition far more superior, much more information, and some important insights changed. 

Since your old one is signed perhaps you could keep it as a keepsake, or write a note with your request for a new explaining your desire for the signature and ask kindly if Susun would be willing to sign the new one for you.

Love and Blessings,
Karen Joy
http://www.wisewomanweb.com
[email protected]

Dear Karen Joy,
 
Thank you so much for your very honest answer.  With one hundred new pages of information and some information  and things changed I think that the book is worth buying.
 
Happy New Year to you,

Wonderful, enjoy!

Karen Joy
[email protected]

Migraines Triggered By Arousal?

Q: Hi Susun or Justine

I have a question for you that concern me.

Over a month a go I had a very bad headache,it started with sexual excitement and got worse at the time of the orgasm, since then every time my husband and I get close and I get excited I begin to have a headache, I never had this experience until now in my pre-menopausal, and I'm getting frustrated, besides my husband is at the age when men need more help from us.

I'm asking you because your menopausal book had helped me a lot to understand this stage and all the symptoms that I had and have sometimes, tough less intense now since I'm nourishing myself with your recommendations.

Hope to hear from you soon

A: Hello, it is wonderful to hear you are nourishing yourself well, and that you found so much help with Susun's New Menopausal Years!  I can see how this can be disconcerting.  Have you tried any of the ideas in the book on the topic of "Headaches/Migraine" (pp. 135-137)? 

Susun is rarely able to answer emails, but she likes to be available, so she has left open Tuesday evenings until late October.  On these Tuesdays, you may call her between 7:30-pm and 9:30pm Eastern time (845-246-8081) for a free  phone consultation.  If it's busy, just keep trying.

Susun Weed's Wise Woman Forum is a wonderful resource, with the experience and wisdom of many people from around the world to draw from.  We hope to see you there.  If you do visit, it would help us to know what nourishing things you have tried that have helped.  It would also be nice to know if there is anything in addition to the sexual excitement that seems to trigger these headaches. 

Once something happens that is so unpleasant, sometimes it is hard to know if our fear of it happening again ever plays a part in its severity. 

It is nice to hear they have at least lessened.

Blessings,
Karen Joy
[email protected]
www.wisewomanweb.com