Welcome to the program! 00:00:35.11\00:00:36.53 I'm Amy Wellard, your host today, 00:00:36.56\00:00:38.48 from the Wildwood Lifestyle Center in Georgia, 00:00:38.51\00:00:40.86 and with me today is Dr. Cherie Lon Fernandez 00:00:40.89\00:00:43.97 from the Philippines 00:00:44.00\00:00:45.88 Today our show is going to be about Vibrant Womanhood, 00:00:45.91\00:00:50.24 how you can be a healthy woman at EVERY phase of your life... 00:00:50.27\00:00:54.31 so stay with us - you're going to learn some 00:00:54.34\00:00:56.16 exciting information today. 00:00:56.19\00:00:58.23 Dr. Cherie Lon, we now know that menstruation 00:00:58.26\00:01:02.21 is starting a lot earlier in girls than it used to. 00:01:02.24\00:01:05.14 It used to start around age 16 or so... 00:01:05.17\00:01:07.83 Certainly when I was a young girl, it was around that age. 00:01:07.86\00:01:10.49 Now, girls are starting as young as 11, 12, 00:01:10.52\00:01:14.37 or even as young as 8 years old. 00:01:14.40\00:01:16.28 Can you tell us what is the cause for this. 00:01:16.31\00:01:19.27 Many think it's baffling but really it's not. 00:01:19.30\00:01:21.90 Mainly it's because lifestyle has changed from 00:01:21.93\00:01:26.68 what it used to be. 00:01:26.71\00:01:28.08 People used to be working out in the fields, walking to school 00:01:28.11\00:01:32.99 and having more physical activities than they have now. 00:01:33.02\00:01:37.00 They used to stay in farms in the country, 00:01:37.03\00:01:39.94 but now they have moved to the cities... 00:01:39.97\00:01:42.91 And so we are now tending to a sedentary lifestyle. 00:01:42.94\00:01:48.41 So these little girls growing up are sedentary, 00:01:48.44\00:01:51.42 and they have more weight on them 00:01:51.45\00:01:54.90 than the little girls that used to have slimmer bodies then... 00:01:54.93\00:01:59.93 And so it's because the body fat, 00:01:59.96\00:02:04.20 when it reaches this critical 17%, 00:02:04.23\00:02:07.84 this 17% of critical body fat is what triggers the 00:02:07.87\00:02:14.51 onset of menstruation. 00:02:14.54\00:02:16.20 So the heavier the kid is, 00:02:16.23\00:02:18.46 or the more body fat the kid has, 00:02:18.49\00:02:22.63 the sooner this kid is going to go into her first menstruation 00:02:22.66\00:02:28.86 called the menarche - so that's mainly it. 00:02:28.89\00:02:32.67 So that would imply that the rise in obesity, 00:02:32.70\00:02:35.57 here in America, is actually contributing 00:02:35.60\00:02:37.36 to the early onset of menses. 00:02:37.40\00:02:38.81 Yes, even in developing countries it is that way so 00:02:38.85\00:02:42.45 With all the, what they call those stores, restaurants, 00:02:42.48\00:02:47.18 fast-food restaurants that are coming to the 00:02:47.21\00:02:49.30 developing countries, we are also catching up 00:02:49.33\00:02:52.07 with the menarche coming down... 00:02:52.10\00:02:54.34 you know - it's all over. 00:02:54.37\00:02:57.01 Now the average length of menstruation, 00:02:57.04\00:03:00.21 when we're talking about our periods being 00:03:00.24\00:03:03.21 28 days between - that's the average and that's the ideal 00:03:03.24\00:03:07.36 especially if you're wanting to conceive. 00:03:07.39\00:03:09.21 But, there's a large variation there, 00:03:09.24\00:03:11.19 isn't there - that's still considered normal. 00:03:11.22\00:03:13.36 Yes, there is really a big range with this. 00:03:13.39\00:03:15.54 Everybody wants to have the 28-day cycle 00:03:15.57\00:03:18.64 because that's really what you would want. 00:03:18.67\00:03:21.07 It's the official logical thing for your body to have its 00:03:21.10\00:03:24.51 menses every time the moon turns around... you know? 00:03:24.54\00:03:27.50 ...Spaced 28 days. 00:03:27.53\00:03:28.90 But you can go as early as every 21 days to as late as 00:03:28.93\00:03:35.21 35 days and that would still be considered normal. 00:03:35.24\00:03:38.55 However, you would really want to be closer to the 28 days 00:03:38.58\00:03:42.12 because if it were shorter, like coming every 21 days, 00:03:42.15\00:03:46.80 it's like you just have had your menses 00:03:46.83\00:03:49.29 and then it's there again! 00:03:49.32\00:03:50.69 You would really want to have a longer time of rest 00:03:50.72\00:03:53.02 then for your body to recover 00:03:53.05\00:03:55.17 and build up red blood cells again before you have 00:03:55.20\00:03:59.03 your menses again. 00:03:59.06\00:04:00.47 If it were longer, then you would be happier, 00:04:00.50\00:04:04.90 but there are drawbacks if it were longer than 35 days. 00:04:04.93\00:04:08.49 And some ladies actually are finding that they're not 00:04:08.52\00:04:11.34 menstruating at all, and at first you might think, 00:04:11.37\00:04:13.96 "Well that's great! I'm not menstruating, 00:04:13.99\00:04:16.55 no mess, no inconvenience, no cramps. " 00:04:16.58\00:04:20.08 But really, are there some dangers though? 00:04:20.11\00:04:22.95 Oh yes, yes... Initially when I didn't know any better, 00:04:22.98\00:04:27.23 I would tell a lady, "Why are you so worried 00:04:27.26\00:04:30.67 about not having menses?" 00:04:30.70\00:04:32.07 Imagine! At least I thought for myself, 00:04:32.10\00:04:35.20 before I knew any better. 00:04:35.23\00:04:37.81 But then if a woman does not have menses, like maybe say - 00:04:37.84\00:04:41.62 having her menses once or twice or thrice in a month, 00:04:41.65\00:04:47.09 are women hormones, estrogen and progesterone 00:04:47.12\00:04:50.45 are really very important for all the cells of our body. 00:04:50.48\00:04:55.00 So then IF you don't have your hormones to par 00:04:55.03\00:05:00.25 ...yep - functioning properly, imagine all those cells 00:05:00.28\00:05:04.72 which depend on your hormones, not being there. 00:05:04.75\00:05:09.70 Example... If you had your menses too far apart, 00:05:09.73\00:05:13.44 and estrogen is not there, 00:05:13.47\00:05:15.79 you're not having your menses, 00:05:15.82\00:05:17.19 you're not having your regular hormonal patterns... 00:05:17.22\00:05:19.97 And estrogen being the one that brings 00:05:20.00\00:05:23.06 calcium into your blood, you will become prone 00:05:23.09\00:05:26.05 to have osteoporosis because you don't have enough calcium 00:05:26.08\00:05:31.09 getting into the bone due to you not having estrogen. 00:05:31.12\00:05:35.40 Okay, so let's say that I'm menstruating regularly, 00:05:35.43\00:05:41.01 how would I know that I am menstruating healthily? 00:05:41.04\00:05:45.49 Can I tell by the amounts of blood being loss? Yes, yes 00:05:45.52\00:05:48.68 They have come out with the amount; 00:05:48.71\00:05:53.29 several books say from 30 to 80 ml or 30 to 80 cc 00:05:53.32\00:06:02.98 So that would be the equivalent of... 00:06:03.01\00:06:04.51 The ENTIRE menstrual flow. 00:06:04.54\00:06:08.77 But some go more than that. 00:06:08.80\00:06:12.21 But that is what they said would be the healthy blood flow. 00:06:12.24\00:06:16.21 And 80 cc would be about a third of a cup? 00:06:16.24\00:06:18.78 Yes, a third of a cup. For those of us that cook, 00:06:18.81\00:06:20.71 we know what that kind of looks like. 00:06:20.74\00:06:22.48 Yeah, you can get a cup and measure it. 00:06:22.51\00:06:25.53 So let's go back to the early onset of menstruation - 00:06:25.56\00:06:28.88 which to me is the really alarming factor about this topic 00:06:28.91\00:06:33.35 Apart from the inconvenience of being a mother and teaching 00:06:33.38\00:06:36.52 your 9-year-old how to cope with menstruation, 00:06:36.55\00:06:39.71 are there are any other major drawbacks 00:06:39.74\00:06:42.10 from this early onset? 00:06:42.13\00:06:43.50 Oh, I think if I were the mother of a young girl who 00:06:43.53\00:06:47.62 went into menses early, 00:06:47.65\00:06:49.71 oh, I'd be problematic because 00:06:49.74\00:06:52.12 my daughter could get pregnant soon... 00:06:52.15\00:06:56.81 I wouldn't want that. 00:06:56.84\00:07:01.45 I mean, it's like the fulfillment of a woman's life 00:07:01.48\00:07:05.67 is having a pregnancy and having a baby, yeah? 00:07:05.70\00:07:08.13 We're made to do that. 00:07:08.16\00:07:09.98 But being pregnant so EARLY... 00:07:10.01\00:07:14.08 Let's say I had a patient with a pregnancy as early as 11 00:07:14.11\00:07:19.09 Can you imagine an 11-year-old girl carrying a baby? 00:07:19.12\00:07:24.30 Her body is still starting to develop; 00:07:24.33\00:07:27.17 she has not even grown her maximum height. 00:07:27.20\00:07:32.73 Her body is not really fit to be a mother yet. 00:07:32.76\00:07:36.11 Her hips are still small. 00:07:36.14\00:07:37.73 Her body is still small. 00:07:37.76\00:07:39.13 But she is already having her menses, 00:07:39.16\00:07:41.26 and she can get pregnant. 00:07:41.29\00:07:42.68 And she will hide it, definitely, from you! 00:07:42.71\00:07:47.02 She's not going to say, "Oh mommy, I'm pregnant. " NO 00:07:47.05\00:07:51.12 No kid would go straight to mommy and tell 00:07:51.15\00:07:53.13 that she was playing around... unfortunately, 00:07:53.16\00:07:55.76 and she's going to hide the pregnancy as long as she can. 00:07:55.79\00:07:58.88 That's usually the case. 00:07:58.91\00:08:00.28 And so, imagine the problems associated with 00:08:00.31\00:08:04.28 the pregnancy that was not cared for. 00:08:04.31\00:08:06.95 Are there any other perhaps later life consequences 00:08:06.98\00:08:11.07 from having started early. 00:08:11.10\00:08:12.47 I mean, we do hear if you start early - you finish late... 00:08:12.50\00:08:14.93 So you have a longer length of your life 00:08:14.96\00:08:17.96 where you're actually able to reproduce, 00:08:17.99\00:08:19.97 but are there any other dangers at the end of your life 00:08:20.00\00:08:22.05 as a consequence of this start... Of early menstruation 00:08:22.08\00:08:24.80 We cannot begin to really fully understand why 00:08:24.83\00:08:30.39 ...when you go into menarche late, you menopause early. 00:08:30.42\00:08:36.27 But when you go into menarche early, you menopause late. 00:08:36.30\00:08:41.73 And so the more menstrual cycles you have, 00:08:41.76\00:08:45.32 unless you have 12 or 24 babies... 00:08:45.35\00:08:50.05 Some people do... It's not always the case, 00:08:50.08\00:08:53.08 it's only a few, but especially now when 00:08:53.11\00:08:55.78 people are educated, they would rather have 00:08:55.81\00:08:58.48 so many - the less children the better... 00:08:58.51\00:09:00.78 because of the difficulty of coping with the times. 00:09:00.81\00:09:04.66 But the more menstrual cycles you have, 00:09:04.69\00:09:07.49 the more scarring you have on your cervix, 00:09:07.52\00:09:10.21 the more STRESS there is on your reproductive tract 00:09:10.24\00:09:13.39 EVERY month - month after month, your cervix, your uterus 00:09:13.42\00:09:18.22 and your ovaries are always repairing. 00:09:18.25\00:09:20.61 So you will be prone to more problems because of this 00:09:20.64\00:09:24.57 breakdown and repair, breakdown and repair 00:09:24.60\00:09:27.83 from month to month, you would be prone to have cancers. 00:09:27.86\00:09:32.82 Cancers, possibly ovarian? 00:09:32.85\00:09:36.58 However, ovarian cancer comes to women who have lesser kids. 00:09:36.61\00:09:40.49 Okay? Lesser kids because your ovaries are scarred every month 00:09:40.52\00:09:45.30 and repair every month MORE than a woman who has 00:09:45.33\00:09:48.45 delivered with several babies and breastfed. 00:09:48.48\00:09:50.80 So the longer the resting phase of your ovary, 00:09:50.83\00:09:54.82 the less prone you are to cancer... 00:09:54.85\00:09:57.12 But the more your ovary does it because you don't have kids, 00:09:57.15\00:09:59.96 or you have only a few, you would be more prone. 00:09:59.99\00:10:03.15 Well that's actually nice for some of the ladies out there 00:10:03.18\00:10:06.43 that maybe have never had children. 00:10:06.46\00:10:08.14 There are some advantages from having 00:10:08.17\00:10:10.53 never actually given birth and that's once of them. 00:10:10.56\00:10:13.46 No, no, no - it's just the opposite. 00:10:13.49\00:10:14.86 Ovarian cancer is from NOT having kids. 00:10:14.89\00:10:21.99 Okay? Not having kids. Ahh - okay 00:10:22.02\00:10:24.51 Because your ovaries are scarred over and over again. 00:10:24.54\00:10:27.55 However, cervical cancer is what happens 00:10:27.58\00:10:31.09 to somebody who has had several kids. 00:10:31.12\00:10:35.27 All right, so let's talk about some of the symptoms of 00:10:35.30\00:10:38.45 menstruation. 00:10:38.48\00:10:39.95 Everybody out there who is female knows 00:10:39.98\00:10:43.76 what the symptoms are. 00:10:43.79\00:10:45.63 Basically, we're talking about cramps here, 00:10:45.66\00:10:47.65 and if you're male, by the way, 00:10:47.68\00:10:49.51 please stay with us because we're going to be 00:10:49.54\00:10:51.53 talking about how YOU can understand 00:10:51.56\00:10:53.10 your lady a little bit better when she's going through this. 00:10:53.13\00:10:55.60 So what can we do about cramps? 00:10:55.63\00:10:57.41 What's causing the cramps? 00:10:57.44\00:10:58.81 Okay, mainly cramps are caused by the uterus trying so hard 00:10:58.84\00:11:06.36 to push blood out... 00:11:06.39\00:11:10.54 But it is against a closed cervix. 00:11:10.57\00:11:15.18 Because there are several factors which we will discuss 00:11:15.21\00:11:19.03 that causes the cervix to close. 00:11:19.06\00:11:23.11 And the uterus on top of the cervix - like this 00:11:23.14\00:11:26.09 is pushing on the blood so that the blood can come out 00:11:26.12\00:11:29.35 And so this cramping or this spastic contraction 00:11:29.38\00:11:34.83 of your uterus causes the pain... 00:11:34.86\00:11:37.18 And there are many factors that can cause this spasm 00:11:37.21\00:11:42.81 of your uterus. 00:11:42.84\00:11:44.49 And sometimes it can be as severe as causing you 00:11:44.52\00:11:47.37 to have to literally take a few days off work. 00:11:47.40\00:11:49.31 Oh believe me, I know what that is... 00:11:49.34\00:11:51.49 Really, and fainting, vomiting even... Oh yeah 00:11:51.52\00:11:56.49 Really? So you are familiar with these yourself. YES! 00:11:56.52\00:11:59.52 Well, what can we do about this? 00:11:59.55\00:12:01.77 What natural remedies? 00:12:01.80\00:12:03.41 Natural means as God has given us 00:12:03.44\00:12:05.15 so that we don't have to suffer as heavily. 00:12:05.18\00:12:07.03 Okay... It is always best to know what are causing 00:12:07.06\00:12:12.22 these manifestations so that 00:12:12.25\00:12:14.20 you will be able to fight against it. 00:12:14.24\00:12:17.13 You know - knowing your enemy, you can now fight your enemy. 00:12:17.17\00:12:21.28 So if these spastic contractions of your uterus 00:12:21.31\00:12:28.08 are the ones that cause the pain, 00:12:28.11\00:12:31.00 then we should know WHAT 00:12:31.03\00:12:32.40 causes the uterus to go into spasm! 00:12:32.43\00:12:34.42 Yeah - the most common one is stress PRIOR to your menses. 00:12:34.45\00:12:40.98 If you have had a stressful week or a stressful month, 00:12:41.01\00:12:45.78 most likely your sympathetic nervous system would be 00:12:45.81\00:12:51.67 over-revving - you know... ooo-woo-woo working so hard 00:12:51.70\00:12:56.22 and that causes the cervix to contract. 00:12:56.25\00:12:59.14 The stress maybe even - you know, 00:12:59.17\00:13:01.81 you're a little girl but you're still 15 00:13:01.84\00:13:04.32 ...what stress do you have? 00:13:04.35\00:13:06.47 You're not supposed to be stressful about 00:13:06.50\00:13:08.38 what you're eating tomorrow, 00:13:08.41\00:13:09.78 or how much money you're going to make. 00:13:09.81\00:13:11.34 But then this little 15-year-old has stress? 00:13:11.37\00:13:15.41 When she reads novels, she watches soap operas... 00:13:15.44\00:13:21.23 Especially if it's fiction and it's highly exciting. 00:13:21.26\00:13:25.42 I could remember when I was a kid, 00:13:25.45\00:13:27.29 I read these things and my mother would say, 00:13:27.32\00:13:30.03 "I know why you're having" 00:13:30.06\00:13:31.50 because we didn't have television then... 00:13:31.53\00:13:33.48 But we had books! 00:13:33.51\00:13:34.88 Okay, so then I read and they were HIGHLY, HIGHLY stressful 00:13:34.91\00:13:40.11 on me because... You're getting emotionally 00:13:40.14\00:13:42.91 involved in the stories. Yes 00:13:42.94\00:13:46.26 Romantic THINGS! 00:13:46.29\00:13:48.18 That can actually affect you physiologically 00:13:48.21\00:13:50.59 to give you greater cramps? Yes - yes 00:13:50.62\00:13:52.62 It's a sympathetic thing - your body is excited. 00:13:52.65\00:13:58.39 And also, you could have the position of your uterus 00:13:58.42\00:14:03.00 when it changes its position, it's usually, 00:14:03.03\00:14:06.28 when I'm sitting facing you, my uterus is like this... 00:14:06.31\00:14:10.06 Meaning my uterus is this way, 00:14:10.09\00:14:11.92 but when you have activity like such as gymnastics or 00:14:11.95\00:14:17.59 riding horses, or splitting or whatever... 00:14:17.62\00:14:21.99 your uterus can change position from this to this. 00:14:22.02\00:14:25.64 Or you call that "retroverted uterus" 00:14:25.67\00:14:28.27 So then that one is activities have to be watched. 00:14:28.30\00:14:32.47 because this thing can move around like... you know 00:14:32.50\00:14:34.86 And when it goes THIS WAY, 00:14:34.89\00:14:36.68 the blood vessels along the side get kinked 00:14:36.71\00:14:40.11 and if they're kinked, you have congestion. 00:14:40.14\00:14:43.69 You have a spastic uterus plus congestion, 00:14:43.72\00:14:46.81 ...you get cramps! 00:14:46.84\00:14:48.52 I can imagine and just the mentioning of the word 00:14:48.55\00:14:50.69 "congestion" makes you think - cramps. 00:14:50.72\00:14:54.79 So, let's talk about that "congestion" 00:14:54.82\00:14:57.43 How could we relieve it by dietary measures? 00:14:57.46\00:15:00.25 Specifically, are there components in a vegetarian diet? 00:15:00.28\00:15:04.71 ...I'm sure there are, what are they that can 00:15:04.74\00:15:06.59 really help relieve the congestion? 00:15:06.62\00:15:08.66 Okay, well - have you ever experienced going to the 00:15:08.69\00:15:16.12 refrigerator and opening and looking for food 00:15:16.15\00:15:19.07 that you don't even understand what you're looking for? 00:15:19.10\00:15:21.61 Okay - it's true. Yeah, okay! 00:15:21.64\00:15:23.68 You go and open your refrigerator... 00:15:23.71\00:15:25.28 I'm looking through, I see this, this, this, this 00:15:25.31\00:15:28.09 and I don't even know what I 00:15:28.12\00:15:29.49 want and I close it and the next thing... 00:15:29.52\00:15:31.43 It's because our body is calling for SOMETHING... 00:15:31.47\00:15:35.42 Usually people who do not take care of their bodies 00:15:35.45\00:15:40.09 are the ones who suffer from the most CRAVINGS. 00:15:40.12\00:15:43.43 However, you crave for SPICY food, very SWEET food 00:15:43.46\00:15:49.30 and very SALTY food. 00:15:49.33\00:15:51.23 Now why is that? 00:15:51.26\00:15:52.89 This is what we all want to know... 00:15:52.92\00:15:54.41 WHY am I craving sweet foods JUST before my period. 00:15:54.44\00:15:58.12 Most likely if you weren't eating properly, 00:15:58.15\00:16:02.20 you weren't exercising, 00:16:02.23\00:16:04.41 you weren't drinking your water, 00:16:04.44\00:16:06.11 you weren't sleeping well, 00:16:06.14\00:16:07.90 okay... yeah In other words, your body 00:16:07.93\00:16:12.14 is not really functioning very well, 00:16:12.17\00:16:14.73 and your body lacks nutrients, lacks certain stuff, 00:16:14.76\00:16:17.64 and it will call for it around the menstrual time. 00:16:17.67\00:16:20.20 So if it's there, you already knowing that 00:16:20.23\00:16:24.27 these things can cause congestion... 00:16:24.30\00:16:27.33 you have to LEARN how to control. 00:16:27.36\00:16:30.74 So what you're saying is... the craving is caused by 00:16:30.77\00:16:34.34 a nutritional deficiency - SORT OF 00:16:34.37\00:16:36.31 that has accumulated through the month 00:16:36.34\00:16:37.90 prior to the cramps arriving. 00:16:37.93\00:16:39.66 So in other words, we prepare for menses by the way that 00:16:39.69\00:16:42.84 we eat ALL through the week or through the month. 00:16:42.87\00:16:45.21 Yes, through the month. 00:16:45.24\00:16:46.81 Now, I hear that green, leafy vegetables 00:16:46.84\00:16:49.90 are specifically helpful. Oh yes, yes 00:16:49.93\00:16:53.49 It's because they are rich in calcium and magnesium... 00:16:53.52\00:16:58.75 And calcium and magnesium help the muscles relax. 00:16:58.78\00:17:03.76 Okay, so then when you have high level of 00:17:03.79\00:17:07.01 calcium and magnesium that your body had 00:17:07.04\00:17:09.33 ...within normal of course, 00:17:09.36\00:17:12.62 this one will help your uterus relax. 00:17:12.65\00:17:15.15 A relative deficiency, not deficiency as in none, 00:17:15.18\00:17:19.74 or below normal, but if you have less of that 00:17:19.77\00:17:22.29 and less of magnesium, you go into spastic state. 00:17:22.32\00:17:25.53 So, even your muscles all over your body, 00:17:25.56\00:17:28.10 but the uterus seems to be really irritable at that time. 00:17:28.13\00:17:32.91 Now somebody might say, 00:17:32.94\00:17:34.31 "Well Dr. Cherie Lon, I can get calcium and magnesium 00:17:34.34\00:17:36.92 from CHOCOLATE!" 00:17:36.95\00:17:39.69 YES you can - yeah! 00:17:39.72\00:17:41.29 It's very common outside, they know that. 00:17:41.32\00:17:44.14 I used to love chocolate, 00:17:44.17\00:17:46.29 and I couldn't understand why chocolate was so good. 00:17:46.32\00:17:49.76 The thing is, it comes with TOO MUCH SUGAR, refined sugar, 00:17:49.79\00:17:54.57 and it has caffeine-like substances in it which 00:17:54.60\00:18:00.66 it's better not to mess around with these things... 00:18:00.69\00:18:05.24 Because once it gets you, 00:18:05.27\00:18:07.61 it's hard to get away from chocolate. 00:18:07.64\00:18:10.16 They said it's the food of the gods, 00:18:10.19\00:18:11.84 but you don't get godly anyway when you get that thing. 00:18:11.87\00:18:16.36 Stay away from it - it's better for you to stay away 00:18:16.39\00:18:18.87 because you can get your calcium and magnesium 00:18:18.90\00:18:20.52 from stuff that is healthier than chocolate. 00:18:20.55\00:18:25.12 Wonderful, so we want to heap up maybe half your plate 00:18:25.15\00:18:28.67 with greens or at least a cup of cooked greens every day 00:18:28.70\00:18:31.42 during the month - that is going to set you up for a 00:18:31.45\00:18:33.69 healthy menstruation. 00:18:33.72\00:18:35.22 And also, the greens are high in fiber which helps 00:18:35.25\00:18:38.56 relieve constipation which is associated with 00:18:38.59\00:18:40.81 the premenstrual syndrome, and we'll be having another 00:18:40.84\00:18:43.16 program on the premenstrual syndrome. 00:18:43.19\00:18:45.28 So what else can we do to prevent the cramps? 00:18:45.31\00:18:49.25 Is there any perhaps herbal agent that we can use? 00:18:49.28\00:18:51.78 Oh, cramp bark. 00:18:51.81\00:18:54.39 It's really called "cramp bark" 00:18:54.42\00:18:56.24 Yes, it's cramp bark and it has been used by 00:18:56.27\00:18:59.14 our American Indians and several ancient people. 00:18:59.17\00:19:05.38 They used it for muscle cramping. 00:19:05.41\00:19:08.15 It's a very, very potent muscle cramping 00:19:08.18\00:19:11.47 without the side effects. 00:19:11.50\00:19:13.14 Unless if you really use a big amount. 00:19:13.17\00:19:16.15 Then you may suffer from gastric upset or nausea and vomiting, 00:19:16.18\00:19:19.93 but if you use it, you can even have as much as 00:19:19.96\00:19:24.23 2 cups per day - if you get the bark. 00:19:24.26\00:19:27.07 It's the bark - you need the bark, okay? 00:19:27.10\00:19:29.67 And about a teaspoon per cup and you brew it... 00:19:29.70\00:19:33.21 You boil water, put a teaspoon and let it steep. 00:19:33.24\00:19:36.08 And have 1-2 cups 3 times a day, 00:19:36.11\00:19:40.20 that would control the cramping. 00:19:40.23\00:19:42.50 Wonderful, and are there any other herbs that we could use? 00:19:42.53\00:19:45.49 Oh, there is chamomile. 00:19:45.52\00:19:47.97 Chamomile - Now I think my husband uses that for sleep. 00:19:48.00\00:19:52.06 Yep - because it sedates you and it is a relative muscle 00:19:52.09\00:19:57.08 relaxant... 00:19:57.11\00:19:59.00 No well, it's not really, it doesn't work that way, 00:19:59.03\00:20:01.72 it's indirectly but it relieves cramping. 00:20:01.75\00:20:04.95 We also have ginger root. 00:20:04.98\00:20:08.53 Ginger root - as in the culinary ginger you can buy in the store? 00:20:08.56\00:20:11.73 Yes, that one you don't' have to go to GNC, you know. 00:20:11.76\00:20:15.92 You can go to Wal-Mart and you have your ginger root. 00:20:15.95\00:20:18.63 You can get as big as your thumb is, slice it up, 00:20:18.66\00:20:21.80 and put it in a cup of boiling water, 00:20:21.83\00:20:25.99 and that will give you... Wonderful 00:20:26.02\00:20:30.74 Now, at the Wildwood Lifestyle Center we use 00:20:30.77\00:20:33.32 hydrotherapy which is basically water therapy... 00:20:33.35\00:20:37.11 Hydro meaning water and there are many different 00:20:37.14\00:20:39.90 treatments that we use there with great success on patients 00:20:39.93\00:20:42.67 with EVERY kind of issue that you can imagine... 00:20:42.70\00:20:45.92 And so what hydrotherapy would you recommend? 00:20:45.95\00:20:49.01 I remember my mom giving me this big hot water bottle 00:20:49.04\00:20:53.45 to put in my hypogastric area when I was having cramps, 00:20:53.48\00:20:57.72 but that relieves sort of the congestion from your pelvic area 00:20:57.75\00:21:04.21 But I think a hot foot bath is MORE efficient in taking out 00:21:04.24\00:21:10.76 congestion from your pelvic area and redistributing 00:21:10.79\00:21:14.84 the blood throughout your system so that you are 00:21:14.87\00:21:17.80 having less congestion and less pain in your hypogastric area 00:21:17.83\00:21:21.27 or the cramps disappear. 00:21:21.30\00:21:23.69 So it's like in a big pail where you can put hot water, 00:21:23.72\00:21:27.35 warm enough for you or hot enough that you can stand 00:21:27.38\00:21:31.25 up to the middle of your leg and put your feet down there 00:21:31.28\00:21:36.43 in the water for some 15-30 minutes 00:21:36.46\00:21:39.62 with an ice pack on your head. 00:21:39.65\00:21:42.63 You know when you put something hot, 00:21:42.66\00:21:44.75 you don't want your blood too hot on your head, 00:21:44.79\00:21:47.65 so you put an icepack, 00:21:47.69\00:21:49.06 and within 30 minutes of doing the hot foot bath 00:21:49.09\00:21:51.82 you would be okay. 00:21:51.85\00:21:53.28 That's wonderful. It is very effective! 00:21:53.31\00:21:55.43 It's basically just working on the principle that 00:21:55.46\00:21:57.93 it's drawing away the blood from the area that is 00:21:57.96\00:22:00.08 causing the congestion, and taking it to the 00:22:00.11\00:22:02.69 extremities - so you are equalizing circulation... Yes 00:22:02.72\00:22:04.87 and that can actually minimize pain... very simple. 00:22:04.90\00:22:08.28 Very, very effective. 00:22:08.31\00:22:09.88 So you don't have to resort to a Tylenol necessarily. 00:22:09.91\00:22:12.87 No - since I learned that, no more Tylenol. Wonderful! 00:22:12.90\00:22:18.17 It's tedious but it is very good without the side effects. 00:22:18.20\00:22:22.84 And you feel ministered too as well... Oh yes-yes 00:22:22.87\00:22:24.90 If your husband gives you a hot foot bath, you know, 00:22:24.93\00:22:27.38 you can turn the most stressful time of the month into 00:22:27.41\00:22:30.53 a positive blessing with your husband. 00:22:30.56\00:22:32.39 So we encourage you, if at home, you've been having 00:22:32.42\00:22:35.24 menstrual cramps and you've been having difficulties 00:22:35.27\00:22:37.33 that a lot of this information is going to really be 00:22:37.36\00:22:39.89 a great help to you and a great blessing. 00:22:39.92\00:22:42.14 Dr. Cherie Lon, is there anything else that you would 00:22:42.17\00:22:44.10 like to share with our viewers regarding menstruation? 00:22:44.13\00:22:47.63 Oh, it is a normal thing. If I would say... 00:22:47.66\00:22:54.49 When people come to me when I used to have a lot of patients - 00:22:54.52\00:22:59.66 back home in the Philippines, I had infertility being one of my 00:22:59.69\00:23:04.79 subspecialties, if I would say so 00:23:04.82\00:23:06.27 I love practicing infertility. 00:23:06.30\00:23:08.72 One thing that I would ask them is - Is your menses regular? 00:23:08.75\00:23:13.01 So we really have to strive to 00:23:13.04\00:23:15.26 bring our menses closest to normal. 00:23:15.29\00:23:18.35 Because it is one sign that our endocrine system is 00:23:18.38\00:23:25.54 working for us and that our reproductive tract 00:23:25.57\00:23:30.13 is working fine. 00:23:30.16\00:23:31.71 There may be other problems associated, 00:23:31.74\00:23:33.88 but it is hard to get your menses regular 00:23:33.91\00:23:36.95 if you weren't regular... it needs time to do that. 00:23:36.98\00:23:39.80 So taking care of your body, following ALL the natural laws 00:23:39.83\00:23:45.19 will help you to get there. 00:23:45.22\00:23:48.46 It is important because our bodies have been so 00:23:48.49\00:23:51.04 wonderfully created and made so wonderfully 00:23:51.07\00:23:54.25 that when we take care of the machine, 00:23:54.28\00:23:57.99 our Porsche... this is our Porsche 00:23:58.02\00:24:00.46 We have to care for our Porsche, you know. 00:24:00.49\00:24:03.13 You give the best gas, Clean it every day. 00:24:03.16\00:24:08.01 Water it. These things, then your Porsche is going to 00:24:08.04\00:24:11.48 serve you a LONG time! That's beautiful 00:24:11.51\00:24:14.03 And you know, I just want to give a word of encouragement 00:24:14.06\00:24:16.42 for the people that maybe are really 00:24:16.45\00:24:18.25 having a hard time with this. 00:24:18.28\00:24:19.66 And there's probably not a woman on the planet 00:24:19.69\00:24:21.57 that hasn't had a hard time with this at some point. 00:24:21.60\00:24:24.02 Because you know, I found a Bible text, 00:24:24.05\00:24:26.19 in Genesis 3:16, it says that, 00:24:26.22\00:24:28.62 "In sorrow that shalt bear children" 00:24:28.65\00:24:31.36 And that actually means continual sorrow; 00:24:31.39\00:24:33.41 the continual of menstruation. 00:24:33.44\00:24:35.60 Not only in bearing the child but in the physiological 00:24:35.63\00:24:39.01 condition associated with childbearing which, of course, 00:24:39.04\00:24:41.23 is menstruation, menopause, everything. 00:24:41.26\00:24:43.86 But also the promise comes with that... Isaiah 53:4, says.. 00:24:43.89\00:24:49.64 "Surely or certainly, He has borne our griefs, 00:24:49.67\00:24:53.97 and carried our sorrows" 00:24:54.00\00:24:56.37 And whether we're going through an easier stage with it 00:24:56.40\00:24:59.98 or a more painful stage, there is the promise that 00:25:00.01\00:25:03.13 Jesus bears the heaviest part of the load. 00:25:03.16\00:25:06.54 So if you are struggling with intense menstrual cramps, 00:25:06.57\00:25:09.57 I know the presence of Christ in His grace 00:25:09.60\00:25:11.92 is really very much present to comfort and to strengthen. 00:25:11.95\00:25:15.59 Oh, we forgot to talk about exercise. 00:25:15.62\00:25:20.38 Let's talk about exercise! 00:25:20.41\00:25:21.89 That's right - how could we not talk about exercise. 00:25:21.92\00:25:24.16 Oh and it's got to be the most 00:25:24.19\00:25:25.56 important remedy for menstruation! 00:25:25.59\00:25:27.95 Exercise is very important because it relaxes 00:25:27.98\00:25:30.51 just prior to the menses. 00:25:30.54\00:25:31.96 It relieves your cramping pain. 00:25:31.99\00:25:35.60 It relieves the congestion. 00:25:35.63\00:25:37.53 And, you know, you loosen the muscles over your 00:25:37.56\00:25:41.58 lower back and your front of your abdomen. 00:25:41.61\00:25:46.78 And it helps give you better well-being - exercise. 00:25:46.81\00:25:54.43 Are you talking about exercise during menstruation or prior? 00:25:54.46\00:25:59.25 It will be hard to be doing it during but if you could do 00:25:59.28\00:26:01.83 it during, it's fine, but what I'm talking about - 00:26:01.86\00:26:04.55 ...Prevention is really much better than cure! 00:26:04.58\00:26:07.04 So if you were having regular exercises, 00:26:07.07\00:26:09.29 stretching every day, every day, especially prior 00:26:09.32\00:26:13.28 to the time of menses, THEN that would be 00:26:13.31\00:26:17.21 a big plus for you. 00:26:17.24\00:26:19.45 Now there are some exercises that can really help 00:26:19.48\00:26:22.66 during menstruation, I understand, 00:26:22.69\00:26:24.69 specifically stretching exercises for the waist area, 00:26:24.72\00:26:28.25 maybe for the pelvic area to help relieve that congestion. 00:26:28.28\00:26:31.59 Can you give us some specifics or maybe even 00:26:31.62\00:26:34.36 demonstrate for our viewers what you would recommend? 00:26:34.39\00:26:38.76 You could stand against the wall with your hand like this, 00:26:38.79\00:26:43.82 and move, you know, your feet flat on the floor 00:26:43.85\00:26:48.99 but then when you move your hand, you move like this... 00:26:49.02\00:26:51.30 You move your body like going on a diagonal. Okay 00:26:51.33\00:26:55.61 You move towards the wall, you're stretching 00:26:55.64\00:26:57.56 this side of your body. 00:26:57.59\00:26:59.88 And you can also stand back and then move backward 00:26:59.91\00:27:02.55 like this against the wall and stretch the front of your 00:27:02.58\00:27:06.11 abdomen and then you also stand back 2 feet away from 00:27:06.14\00:27:12.74 the wall and bend forward so that you stretch your back, 00:27:12.77\00:27:16.76 and the other side... okay? 00:27:16.79\00:27:18.87 So just simple stretching or you can bend, 00:27:18.90\00:27:23.00 or just reach down this way or reach back this way, 00:27:23.03\00:27:26.59 stretch your lower body because 00:27:26.62\00:27:29.85 it pushes out the blood from your pelvic area. Great! 00:27:29.88\00:27:32.93 Wonderful, and are there any other natural remedies... 00:27:32.96\00:27:35.23 We talk about getting sunshine and fresh air 00:27:35.26\00:27:37.51 throughout the month that's going to help contribute. 00:27:37.54\00:27:39.80 Oh sunshine is very good because it gives you vitamin D, 00:27:39.83\00:27:44.92 and it helps you relax when you go to bed. 00:27:44.95\00:27:48.11 And you must be sleeping early! 00:27:48.14\00:27:52.98 We don't sleep early because we're reading our novels 00:27:53.01\00:27:55.17 or watching T.V.! Okay, so no more T.V. now. 00:27:55.20\00:27:58.35 No more T.V... except 3ABN Yes, it relaxes me. 00:27:58.38\00:28:04.27 Okay, Dr. Cherie Lon, thank you so much 00:28:04.30\00:28:06.06 for being on the show with us today. 00:28:06.09\00:28:07.71 God bless you and remember 00:28:07.74\00:28:09.11 You are Wonderfully Made 00:28:09.14\00:28:10.51