Posted by Bryn on March 11, 2007, at 17:51:05
In reply to Re: Nice to meet you, too, and what I'm taking.. » Bryn, posted by Meri-Tuuli on March 11, 2007, at 5:59:44
Meri,
Are you afraid of taking supplements and other things because of OCD-related issues? If that is the case, I certainly can relate to it. OCD runs in my extended family and I became a vegetarian a couple of years ago when I read about the possible contamination of BSE/TSE in our food supply. At first I was a strict vegan and purged my belongings of ANYTHING I suspected of being from an animal source. In time I came to a compromise with myself that it would be impossible for me to control my exposure to molecular-sized particles. I then decided that the best I could do would be to decrease my ODDS of consuming TSE-infected particles and, since that time, my anxiety surrounding consumption issues has lessened considerably. Best of luck with your fears... you are not alone. :)
>
> I have a question I've been wondering about - what would you define as a long menstrual cycle? My cycles are quite long - kinda 33-35 days - and I've always wondered what that was about. I know they're in the longer part of the 'average' but still. Plus they're relatively light, or perhaps they're just normal?I should have been more clear -- I meant to say that I take kelp to prevent long stretches of (usually heavy) bleeding. When these times are long for me, they usually last for an entire week or so.
In regards to your pattern of longer menstrual cycles, I've heard many different opinions as to what this could mean and the risks it may involve. The most prevailing opinion I've heard is that having a cycle that is somewhat longer than the standard 28 days is just an individual variation on a general pattern. That is, 28 days is the norm, but it is by no means the perfect number of days for a woman's cycle.
I've also read that some believe that irregular cycles over a lifetime can increase female cancer risk. The idea behind this is that when a woman has longer cycles, she has a longer exposure to estogen than women with "normal" cycles. I find a lot of flaws in this reasoning.
The final common explanation for longer cycles is that the body is slowly easing itself into menopause. This seems like the most likely explanation for longer cycles in women over 35 to me.
You mentioned that you only have one ovary. If you subscribe to the idea of an intuition of the body, having longer cycles might be your body's way of drawing out your fertility, i.e. since you only have a finite number of eggs, spreading them out over a longer time frame might result in more offspring (a positive outcome from an evolutionary point of view.)
If you are at all concerned about your longer cycles, could you try Vitex? It has an excellent reputation for keeping menstrual cycles in sync. When I've taken it in the past, I brew it in a tea. Here's my quick recipe: approx. 1 teaspon of dried Vitex berries (ground of crushed), 1 t. of peppermint of spearmint leaves, 1 t. crushed rose hips and/or dried hibiscus petals, 1/2 t. of dried citrus peel or zest (organic or well-cleaned). Steep in a large teapot (.5-1 L) with boiling water for approximately 15-20 minutes. Drink approx. 2 cups a day.
I don't know if you feel nervous about teas, but the great part about them is that you can see all of the ingredients going into it and can seal it in a vacuum bottle if you feel more comfortable with that.
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> I used to eat hawthorn leaves when I was a kid. I think kids have this natural foraging instinct well I suppose adults would have it too, but its been conditioned out of us!!Yes, it's funny, isn't it? As an adult I have learned that many of those "weeds" I played with and nibbled on as kids were actually good for me!
> Oh well. I took SJW for maybe half a year, and it totally cleared up my cold sores. I would get a nasty cold sore once every half year or something, but now, nothing!! (touchwood).
>That is very interesting. I didn't know that they were useful for preventing cold sores. I'm glad you found something that was effective for you. Thanks for the good tip!
Peace,
Bryn
poster:Bryn
thread:739277
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20070201/msgs/740206.html