Most women can keep themselves healthy with improved self esteem. According to Fr John M. Valdaris a priest and a psychologist in Chennai, India, those who hold the erroneous belief and feel sorry for being born as women are prone to lots of psychosomatic illnesses. He has counselled a large number of women with physical and mental problems, and most of them were found to have issues of low self-esteem. Most of these women had problems like menstrual disorders, hysteria, inability to cope with workplace and domestic stress, interpersonal relationship etc.
The patriarchal structure of the Indian society has not only limited the full realization of women’s potential, but has also relegated them to the sidelines. While men in the families ate healthy food, women had to satisfy themselves with the leftovers. This resulted in anemia, general weakness, compromised immunity etc. Though there is a visible change in this condition these days, women still feel they are inferior and hence find it difficult to overcome the low self-esteem issues.
Women should cultivate the habit of valuing and respecting themselves. This in itself can cure many diseases. Women should never be ashamed of their bodies. Some women regard menstruation with revulsion. Menstruation is to be treated as a form of cleansing. It is the body’s way of cleaning the womb, just as urinating or defecating, nothing more, nothing less. This should be the attitude towards this natural process that takes place every 28 days. Trying to put off this natural process through medication can spoil the rhythm of this cycle.
Regular menstrual cycle is the sign of a healthy constitution. In case of unavoidable circumstances where one needs to put off their menstruation for a couple of days, there are a couple of ways adapted in some of the South Indian villages for this purpose. One is to eat a handful of roasted Bengal gram mornings and evenings, starting from a week before the onset of menstrual cycle. Another method is to take concentrated lemon juice with salt in the mornings on empty stomach. These methods should be used with discretion and used sparingly. This is for information purpose and you need to consult your physician before starting on this regimen.
Painful Menstruation
Many women suffer from stomach ache at the time of menstruation. They experience pain in the lower abdomen as well as lower back areas. The pain may be due to the spasmodic action of the womb to expel blood and other waste matters. Inflammation in ovaries can also result in pain. Take a couple of mature leaves of Giant Milkweed (Erukku in Tamil). Heat the leaves for a moment in a pot and then press them for juice. Take this juice with jaggery. This is said to relieve menstrual pain. Juice of drumstick leaves is taken in empty stomach in the mornings is yet another effective cure for stomach pain due to menstruation.
0 comments:
Post a Comment