It’s about to get real up in here, people.
If you don’t
want to hear TMI from me, you should probably X out of this post now. I know there are some people who read my blog
that don’t care to know about the inner workings of my body, but there may be
some people reading this that might have the same problems and need some
guidance or direction. This post is for those people.
I stopped taking birth control in May of last year.
No, I’m
certainly not trying to get pregnant, but I’ve been pumping hormones into my
body since I was about 16. I am tired of it and I want my body to work the way nature
intended it to. Without synthetic hormones.
With the
help of the pill, I’ve essentially been menopausal since age 16.
I’ve gone
off the pill once or twice before and both times, without fail, it takes several
months for my body to re-regulate and get my period naturally and regularly
again. This time around, it’s been over 8 months.
When I
brought up the issue with my doctor last time this happened, he gave me some
other type of hormone to kick start my body into the hormone-producing vesicle that
it should be. I’m not so keen on that idea right now.
So, I spoke
to an Ayurvedic specialist. What he told me was no surprise by any stretch of
the imagination, but it did give me some rhyme and reason to what my body is
trying to tell me. The beauty of Ayurveda (and most other forms of Eastern
medicine) is that it is tailored to the individual. There is no “one size fits
all” magic pill to make things in your body happen the way they are supposed
to.
So, what is right for
me may not be right for you. Just keep that in mind.
James said
my overall constitution is Pitta/Vata, but I have a Vata imbalance. [Side note, I'll probably do a post more about this stuff later] Pitta is
fire and Vata is air. Vata is aggravated by too much energy, too much stress,
too much stimulation, and it’s manifested in a deficiency. I’d say not getting my period since last June
is a deficiency, wouldn’t you?
But it goes
deeper than that. There is a hierarchy of body tissue in terms of how the
tissues get nutrients; think of it as a series of filters – nutrients get
sucked up by the top level of tissues and whatever is left finally gets to the
bottom. It just so happens that reproductive tissue is at the bottom of that hierarchy.
This picture is en Espanol, but gives you a really good idea of the tissue hierarchy.
Pitta people
tend to burn up nutrients (calories) very quickly because they’re so active.So,
since I’m have a strong Pitta (fire) nature, I tend to burn through those
nutrients before they have a chance to get to my reproductive tissues. They’re nutrient
deficient…specifically, they’re probably iron deficient. Iron is incredibly
important when it comes to reproductive functioning.
I haven’t
had my blood tested lately, but I’d be willing to bet that I’m slightly anemic.
SO, in
Ayurveda, you generally deal with these types of things with diet and exercise
changes. For me, that means:
- Eating more eggs.
- Eating more butter.
- Drinking more milk.
- Eating red meat every once in a while.
- Exercising in a more “lunar” way.
- Overall, eat more protein and essential fatty acids – more hearty nutrients that can withstand all my fire and get down to those tissues that are lower in the hierarchy.
- Make time to slow things down...as a general life statement.
It’s not
something that’s going to happen overnight, but I am glad I spent the time to
learn how to try to get my body back into balance in a natural way. One thing I
have to stress again is that this is something that will, hopefully, work for
me…but it may not be the answer for you. Each and every one of us is different.
The same, but different.
If you’re
having similar issues, I would strongly suggest you talk to someone who can
tell you what will be helpful for you, as an individual. Shameless plug: James was amazing and he does Skype/FaceTime sessions. Worth it.
Wish me luck
on this path to health!
