Wonderfully Made

Reproductive Years

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Amy Wellard, Cherie Lon Fernandez

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Series Code: WM

Program Code: WM000436


00:35 Welcome to the program!
00:36 I'm Amy Wellard, your host today,
00:38 from the Wildwood Lifestyle Center in Georgia,
00:40 and with me today is Dr. Cherie Lon Fernandez
00:44 from the Philippines
00:45 Today our show is going to be about Vibrant Womanhood,
00:50 how you can be a healthy woman at EVERY phase of your life...
00:54 so stay with us - you're going to learn some
00:56 exciting information today.
00:58 Dr. Cherie Lon, we now know that menstruation
01:02 is starting a lot earlier in girls than it used to.
01:05 It used to start around age 16 or so...
01:07 Certainly when I was a young girl, it was around that age.
01:10 Now, girls are starting as young as 11, 12,
01:14 or even as young as 8 years old.
01:16 Can you tell us what is the cause for this.
01:19 Many think it's baffling but really it's not.
01:21 Mainly it's because lifestyle has changed from
01:26 what it used to be.
01:28 People used to be working out in the fields, walking to school
01:33 and having more physical activities than they have now.
01:37 They used to stay in farms in the country,
01:39 but now they have moved to the cities...
01:42 And so we are now tending to a sedentary lifestyle.
01:48 So these little girls growing up are sedentary,
01:51 and they have more weight on them
01:54 than the little girls that used to have slimmer bodies then...
01:59 And so it's because the body fat,
02:04 when it reaches this critical 17%,
02:07 this 17% of critical body fat is what triggers the
02:14 onset of menstruation.
02:16 So the heavier the kid is,
02:18 or the more body fat the kid has,
02:22 the sooner this kid is going to go into her first menstruation
02:28 called the menarche - so that's mainly it.
02:32 So that would imply that the rise in obesity,
02:35 here in America, is actually contributing
02:37 to the early onset of menses.
02:38 Yes, even in developing countries it is that way so
02:42 With all the, what they call those stores, restaurants,
02:47 fast-food restaurants that are coming to the
02:49 developing countries, we are also catching up
02:52 with the menarche coming down...
02:54 you know - it's all over.
02:57 Now the average length of menstruation,
03:00 when we're talking about our periods being
03:03 28 days between - that's the average and that's the ideal
03:07 especially if you're wanting to conceive.
03:09 But, there's a large variation there,
03:11 isn't there - that's still considered normal.
03:13 Yes, there is really a big range with this.
03:15 Everybody wants to have the 28-day cycle
03:18 because that's really what you would want.
03:21 It's the official logical thing for your body to have its
03:24 menses every time the moon turns around... you know?
03:27 ...Spaced 28 days.
03:28 But you can go as early as every 21 days to as late as
03:35 35 days and that would still be considered normal.
03:38 However, you would really want to be closer to the 28 days
03:42 because if it were shorter, like coming every 21 days,
03:46 it's like you just have had your menses
03:49 and then it's there again!
03:50 You would really want to have a longer time of rest
03:53 then for your body to recover
03:55 and build up red blood cells again before you have
03:59 your menses again.
04:00 If it were longer, then you would be happier,
04:04 but there are drawbacks if it were longer than 35 days.
04:08 And some ladies actually are finding that they're not
04:11 menstruating at all, and at first you might think,
04:13 "Well that's great! I'm not menstruating,
04:16 no mess, no inconvenience, no cramps. "
04:20 But really, are there some dangers though?
04:22 Oh yes, yes... Initially when I didn't know any better,
04:27 I would tell a lady, "Why are you so worried
04:30 about not having menses?"
04:32 Imagine! At least I thought for myself,
04:35 before I knew any better.
04:37 But then if a woman does not have menses, like maybe say -
04:41 having her menses once or twice or thrice in a month,
04:47 are women hormones, estrogen and progesterone
04:50 are really very important for all the cells of our body.
04:55 So then IF you don't have your hormones to par
05:00 ...yep - functioning properly, imagine all those cells
05:04 which depend on your hormones, not being there.
05:09 Example... If you had your menses too far apart,
05:13 and estrogen is not there,
05:15 you're not having your menses,
05:17 you're not having your regular hormonal patterns...
05:20 And estrogen being the one that brings
05:23 calcium into your blood, you will become prone
05:26 to have osteoporosis because you don't have enough calcium
05:31 getting into the bone due to you not having estrogen.
05:35 Okay, so let's say that I'm menstruating regularly,
05:41 how would I know that I am menstruating healthily?
05:45 Can I tell by the amounts of blood being loss? Yes, yes
05:48 They have come out with the amount;
05:53 several books say from 30 to 80 ml or 30 to 80 cc
06:03 So that would be the equivalent of...
06:04 The ENTIRE menstrual flow.
06:08 But some go more than that.
06:12 But that is what they said would be the healthy blood flow.
06:16 And 80 cc would be about a third of a cup?
06:18 Yes, a third of a cup. For those of us that cook,
06:20 we know what that kind of looks like.
06:22 Yeah, you can get a cup and measure it.
06:25 So let's go back to the early onset of menstruation -
06:28 which to me is the really alarming factor about this topic
06:33 Apart from the inconvenience of being a mother and teaching
06:36 your 9-year-old how to cope with menstruation,
06:39 are there are any other major drawbacks
06:42 from this early onset?
06:43 Oh, I think if I were the mother of a young girl who
06:47 went into menses early,
06:49 oh, I'd be problematic because
06:52 my daughter could get pregnant soon...
06:56 I wouldn't want that.
07:01 I mean, it's like the fulfillment of a woman's life
07:05 is having a pregnancy and having a baby, yeah?
07:08 We're made to do that.
07:10 But being pregnant so EARLY...
07:14 Let's say I had a patient with a pregnancy as early as 11
07:19 Can you imagine an 11-year-old girl carrying a baby?
07:24 Her body is still starting to develop;
07:27 she has not even grown her maximum height.
07:32 Her body is not really fit to be a mother yet.
07:36 Her hips are still small.
07:37 Her body is still small.
07:39 But she is already having her menses,
07:41 and she can get pregnant.
07:42 And she will hide it, definitely, from you!
07:47 She's not going to say, "Oh mommy, I'm pregnant. " NO
07:51 No kid would go straight to mommy and tell
07:53 that she was playing around... unfortunately,
07:55 and she's going to hide the pregnancy as long as she can.
07:58 That's usually the case.
08:00 And so, imagine the problems associated with
08:04 the pregnancy that was not cared for.
08:06 Are there any other perhaps later life consequences
08:11 from having started early.
08:12 I mean, we do hear if you start early - you finish late...
08:14 So you have a longer length of your life
08:17 where you're actually able to reproduce,
08:20 but are there any other dangers at the end of your life
08:22 as a consequence of this start... Of early menstruation
08:24 We cannot begin to really fully understand why
08:30 ...when you go into menarche late, you menopause early.
08:36 But when you go into menarche early, you menopause late.
08:41 And so the more menstrual cycles you have,
08:45 unless you have 12 or 24 babies...
08:50 Some people do... It's not always the case,
08:53 it's only a few, but especially now when
08:55 people are educated, they would rather have
08:58 so many - the less children the better...
09:00 because of the difficulty of coping with the times.
09:04 But the more menstrual cycles you have,
09:07 the more scarring you have on your cervix,
09:10 the more STRESS there is on your reproductive tract
09:13 EVERY month - month after month, your cervix, your uterus
09:18 and your ovaries are always repairing.
09:20 So you will be prone to more problems because of this
09:24 breakdown and repair, breakdown and repair
09:27 from month to month, you would be prone to have cancers.
09:32 Cancers, possibly ovarian?
09:36 However, ovarian cancer comes to women who have lesser kids.
09:40 Okay? Lesser kids because your ovaries are scarred every month
09:45 and repair every month MORE than a woman who has
09:48 delivered with several babies and breastfed.
09:50 So the longer the resting phase of your ovary,
09:54 the less prone you are to cancer...
09:57 But the more your ovary does it because you don't have kids,
09:59 or you have only a few, you would be more prone.
10:03 Well that's actually nice for some of the ladies out there
10:06 that maybe have never had children.
10:08 There are some advantages from having
10:10 never actually given birth and that's once of them.
10:13 No, no, no - it's just the opposite.
10:14 Ovarian cancer is from NOT having kids.
10:22 Okay? Not having kids. Ahh - okay
10:24 Because your ovaries are scarred over and over again.
10:27 However, cervical cancer is what happens
10:31 to somebody who has had several kids.
10:35 All right, so let's talk about some of the symptoms of
10:38 menstruation.
10:39 Everybody out there who is female knows
10:43 what the symptoms are.
10:45 Basically, we're talking about cramps here,
10:47 and if you're male, by the way,
10:49 please stay with us because we're going to be
10:51 talking about how YOU can understand
10:53 your lady a little bit better when she's going through this.
10:55 So what can we do about cramps?
10:57 What's causing the cramps?
10:58 Okay, mainly cramps are caused by the uterus trying so hard
11:06 to push blood out...
11:10 But it is against a closed cervix.
11:15 Because there are several factors which we will discuss
11:19 that causes the cervix to close.
11:23 And the uterus on top of the cervix - like this
11:26 is pushing on the blood so that the blood can come out
11:29 And so this cramping or this spastic contraction
11:34 of your uterus causes the pain...
11:37 And there are many factors that can cause this spasm
11:42 of your uterus.
11:44 And sometimes it can be as severe as causing you
11:47 to have to literally take a few days off work.
11:49 Oh believe me, I know what that is...
11:51 Really, and fainting, vomiting even... Oh yeah
11:56 Really? So you are familiar with these yourself. YES!
11:59 Well, what can we do about this?
12:01 What natural remedies?
12:03 Natural means as God has given us
12:05 so that we don't have to suffer as heavily.
12:07 Okay... It is always best to know what are causing
12:12 these manifestations so that
12:14 you will be able to fight against it.
12:17 You know - knowing your enemy, you can now fight your enemy.
12:21 So if these spastic contractions of your uterus
12:28 are the ones that cause the pain,
12:31 then we should know WHAT
12:32 causes the uterus to go into spasm!
12:34 Yeah - the most common one is stress PRIOR to your menses.
12:41 If you have had a stressful week or a stressful month,
12:45 most likely your sympathetic nervous system would be
12:51 over-revving - you know... ooo-woo-woo working so hard
12:56 and that causes the cervix to contract.
12:59 The stress maybe even - you know,
13:01 you're a little girl but you're still 15
13:04 ...what stress do you have?
13:06 You're not supposed to be stressful about
13:08 what you're eating tomorrow,
13:09 or how much money you're going to make.
13:11 But then this little 15-year-old has stress?
13:15 When she reads novels, she watches soap operas...
13:21 Especially if it's fiction and it's highly exciting.
13:25 I could remember when I was a kid,
13:27 I read these things and my mother would say,
13:30 "I know why you're having"
13:31 because we didn't have television then...
13:33 But we had books!
13:34 Okay, so then I read and they were HIGHLY, HIGHLY stressful
13:40 on me because... You're getting emotionally
13:42 involved in the stories. Yes
13:46 Romantic THINGS!
13:48 That can actually affect you physiologically
13:50 to give you greater cramps? Yes - yes
13:52 It's a sympathetic thing - your body is excited.
13:58 And also, you could have the position of your uterus
14:03 when it changes its position, it's usually,
14:06 when I'm sitting facing you, my uterus is like this...
14:10 Meaning my uterus is this way,
14:11 but when you have activity like such as gymnastics or
14:17 riding horses, or splitting or whatever...
14:22 your uterus can change position from this to this.
14:25 Or you call that "retroverted uterus"
14:28 So then that one is activities have to be watched.
14:32 because this thing can move around like... you know
14:34 And when it goes THIS WAY,
14:36 the blood vessels along the side get kinked
14:40 and if they're kinked, you have congestion.
14:43 You have a spastic uterus plus congestion,
14:46 ...you get cramps!
14:48 I can imagine and just the mentioning of the word
14:50 "congestion" makes you think - cramps.
14:54 So, let's talk about that "congestion"
14:57 How could we relieve it by dietary measures?
15:00 Specifically, are there components in a vegetarian diet?
15:04 ...I'm sure there are, what are they that can
15:06 really help relieve the congestion?
15:08 Okay, well - have you ever experienced going to the
15:16 refrigerator and opening and looking for food
15:19 that you don't even understand what you're looking for?
15:21 Okay - it's true. Yeah, okay!
15:23 You go and open your refrigerator...
15:25 I'm looking through, I see this, this, this, this
15:28 and I don't even know what I
15:29 want and I close it and the next thing...
15:31 It's because our body is calling for SOMETHING...
15:35 Usually people who do not take care of their bodies
15:40 are the ones who suffer from the most CRAVINGS.
15:43 However, you crave for SPICY food, very SWEET food
15:49 and very SALTY food.
15:51 Now why is that?
15:52 This is what we all want to know...
15:54 WHY am I craving sweet foods JUST before my period.
15:58 Most likely if you weren't eating properly,
16:02 you weren't exercising,
16:04 you weren't drinking your water,
16:06 you weren't sleeping well,
16:07 okay... yeah In other words, your body
16:12 is not really functioning very well,
16:14 and your body lacks nutrients, lacks certain stuff,
16:17 and it will call for it around the menstrual time.
16:20 So if it's there, you already knowing that
16:24 these things can cause congestion...
16:27 you have to LEARN how to control.
16:30 So what you're saying is... the craving is caused by
16:34 a nutritional deficiency - SORT OF
16:36 that has accumulated through the month
16:37 prior to the cramps arriving.
16:39 So in other words, we prepare for menses by the way that
16:42 we eat ALL through the week or through the month.
16:45 Yes, through the month.
16:46 Now, I hear that green, leafy vegetables
16:49 are specifically helpful. Oh yes, yes
16:53 It's because they are rich in calcium and magnesium...
16:58 And calcium and magnesium help the muscles relax.
17:03 Okay, so then when you have high level of
17:07 calcium and magnesium that your body had
17:09 ...within normal of course,
17:12 this one will help your uterus relax.
17:15 A relative deficiency, not deficiency as in none,
17:19 or below normal, but if you have less of that
17:22 and less of magnesium, you go into spastic state.
17:25 So, even your muscles all over your body,
17:28 but the uterus seems to be really irritable at that time.
17:32 Now somebody might say,
17:34 "Well Dr. Cherie Lon, I can get calcium and magnesium
17:36 from CHOCOLATE!"
17:39 YES you can - yeah!
17:41 It's very common outside, they know that.
17:44 I used to love chocolate,
17:46 and I couldn't understand why chocolate was so good.
17:49 The thing is, it comes with TOO MUCH SUGAR, refined sugar,
17:54 and it has caffeine-like substances in it which
18:00 it's better not to mess around with these things...
18:05 Because once it gets you,
18:07 it's hard to get away from chocolate.
18:10 They said it's the food of the gods,
18:11 but you don't get godly anyway when you get that thing.
18:16 Stay away from it - it's better for you to stay away
18:18 because you can get your calcium and magnesium
18:20 from stuff that is healthier than chocolate.
18:25 Wonderful, so we want to heap up maybe half your plate
18:28 with greens or at least a cup of cooked greens every day
18:31 during the month - that is going to set you up for a
18:33 healthy menstruation.
18:35 And also, the greens are high in fiber which helps
18:38 relieve constipation which is associated with
18:40 the premenstrual syndrome, and we'll be having another
18:43 program on the premenstrual syndrome.
18:45 So what else can we do to prevent the cramps?
18:49 Is there any perhaps herbal agent that we can use?
18:51 Oh, cramp bark.
18:54 It's really called "cramp bark"
18:56 Yes, it's cramp bark and it has been used by
18:59 our American Indians and several ancient people.
19:05 They used it for muscle cramping.
19:08 It's a very, very potent muscle cramping
19:11 without the side effects.
19:13 Unless if you really use a big amount.
19:16 Then you may suffer from gastric upset or nausea and vomiting,
19:19 but if you use it, you can even have as much as
19:24 2 cups per day - if you get the bark.
19:27 It's the bark - you need the bark, okay?
19:29 And about a teaspoon per cup and you brew it...
19:33 You boil water, put a teaspoon and let it steep.
19:36 And have 1-2 cups 3 times a day,
19:40 that would control the cramping.
19:42 Wonderful, and are there any other herbs that we could use?
19:45 Oh, there is chamomile.
19:48 Chamomile - Now I think my husband uses that for sleep.
19:52 Yep - because it sedates you and it is a relative muscle
19:57 relaxant...
19:59 No well, it's not really, it doesn't work that way,
20:01 it's indirectly but it relieves cramping.
20:04 We also have ginger root.
20:08 Ginger root - as in the culinary ginger you can buy in the store?
20:11 Yes, that one you don't' have to go to GNC, you know.
20:15 You can go to Wal-Mart and you have your ginger root.
20:18 You can get as big as your thumb is, slice it up,
20:21 and put it in a cup of boiling water,
20:26 and that will give you... Wonderful
20:30 Now, at the Wildwood Lifestyle Center we use
20:33 hydrotherapy which is basically water therapy...
20:37 Hydro meaning water and there are many different
20:39 treatments that we use there with great success on patients
20:42 with EVERY kind of issue that you can imagine...
20:45 And so what hydrotherapy would you recommend?
20:49 I remember my mom giving me this big hot water bottle
20:53 to put in my hypogastric area when I was having cramps,
20:57 but that relieves sort of the congestion from your pelvic area
21:04 But I think a hot foot bath is MORE efficient in taking out
21:10 congestion from your pelvic area and redistributing
21:14 the blood throughout your system so that you are
21:17 having less congestion and less pain in your hypogastric area
21:21 or the cramps disappear.
21:23 So it's like in a big pail where you can put hot water,
21:27 warm enough for you or hot enough that you can stand
21:31 up to the middle of your leg and put your feet down there
21:36 in the water for some 15-30 minutes
21:39 with an ice pack on your head.
21:42 You know when you put something hot,
21:44 you don't want your blood too hot on your head,
21:47 so you put an icepack,
21:49 and within 30 minutes of doing the hot foot bath
21:51 you would be okay.
21:53 That's wonderful. It is very effective!
21:55 It's basically just working on the principle that
21:57 it's drawing away the blood from the area that is
22:00 causing the congestion, and taking it to the
22:02 extremities - so you are equalizing circulation... Yes
22:04 and that can actually minimize pain... very simple.
22:08 Very, very effective.
22:09 So you don't have to resort to a Tylenol necessarily.
22:12 No - since I learned that, no more Tylenol. Wonderful!
22:18 It's tedious but it is very good without the side effects.
22:22 And you feel ministered too as well... Oh yes-yes
22:24 If your husband gives you a hot foot bath, you know,
22:27 you can turn the most stressful time of the month into
22:30 a positive blessing with your husband.
22:32 So we encourage you, if at home, you've been having
22:35 menstrual cramps and you've been having difficulties
22:37 that a lot of this information is going to really be
22:39 a great help to you and a great blessing.
22:42 Dr. Cherie Lon, is there anything else that you would
22:44 like to share with our viewers regarding menstruation?
22:47 Oh, it is a normal thing. If I would say...
22:54 When people come to me when I used to have a lot of patients -
22:59 back home in the Philippines, I had infertility being one of my
23:04 subspecialties, if I would say so
23:06 I love practicing infertility.
23:08 One thing that I would ask them is - Is your menses regular?
23:13 So we really have to strive to
23:15 bring our menses closest to normal.
23:18 Because it is one sign that our endocrine system is
23:25 working for us and that our reproductive tract
23:30 is working fine.
23:31 There may be other problems associated,
23:33 but it is hard to get your menses regular
23:36 if you weren't regular... it needs time to do that.
23:39 So taking care of your body, following ALL the natural laws
23:45 will help you to get there.
23:48 It is important because our bodies have been so
23:51 wonderfully created and made so wonderfully
23:54 that when we take care of the machine,
23:58 our Porsche... this is our Porsche
24:00 We have to care for our Porsche, you know.
24:03 You give the best gas, Clean it every day.
24:08 Water it. These things, then your Porsche is going to
24:11 serve you a LONG time! That's beautiful
24:14 And you know, I just want to give a word of encouragement
24:16 for the people that maybe are really
24:18 having a hard time with this.
24:19 And there's probably not a woman on the planet
24:21 that hasn't had a hard time with this at some point.
24:24 Because you know, I found a Bible text,
24:26 in Genesis 3:16, it says that,
24:28 "In sorrow that shalt bear children"
24:31 And that actually means continual sorrow;
24:33 the continual of menstruation.
24:35 Not only in bearing the child but in the physiological
24:39 condition associated with childbearing which, of course,
24:41 is menstruation, menopause, everything.
24:43 But also the promise comes with that... Isaiah 53:4, says..
24:49 "Surely or certainly, He has borne our griefs,
24:54 and carried our sorrows"
24:56 And whether we're going through an easier stage with it
25:00 or a more painful stage, there is the promise that
25:03 Jesus bears the heaviest part of the load.
25:06 So if you are struggling with intense menstrual cramps,
25:09 I know the presence of Christ in His grace
25:11 is really very much present to comfort and to strengthen.
25:15 Oh, we forgot to talk about exercise.
25:20 Let's talk about exercise!
25:21 That's right - how could we not talk about exercise.
25:24 Oh and it's got to be the most
25:25 important remedy for menstruation!
25:27 Exercise is very important because it relaxes
25:30 just prior to the menses.
25:31 It relieves your cramping pain.
25:35 It relieves the congestion.
25:37 And, you know, you loosen the muscles over your
25:41 lower back and your front of your abdomen.
25:46 And it helps give you better well-being - exercise.
25:54 Are you talking about exercise during menstruation or prior?
25:59 It will be hard to be doing it during but if you could do
26:01 it during, it's fine, but what I'm talking about -
26:04 ...Prevention is really much better than cure!
26:07 So if you were having regular exercises,
26:09 stretching every day, every day, especially prior
26:13 to the time of menses, THEN that would be
26:17 a big plus for you.
26:19 Now there are some exercises that can really help
26:22 during menstruation, I understand,
26:24 specifically stretching exercises for the waist area,
26:28 maybe for the pelvic area to help relieve that congestion.
26:31 Can you give us some specifics or maybe even
26:34 demonstrate for our viewers what you would recommend?
26:38 You could stand against the wall with your hand like this,
26:43 and move, you know, your feet flat on the floor
26:49 but then when you move your hand, you move like this...
26:51 You move your body like going on a diagonal. Okay
26:55 You move towards the wall, you're stretching
26:57 this side of your body.
26:59 And you can also stand back and then move backward
27:02 like this against the wall and stretch the front of your
27:06 abdomen and then you also stand back 2 feet away from
27:12 the wall and bend forward so that you stretch your back,
27:16 and the other side... okay?
27:18 So just simple stretching or you can bend,
27:23 or just reach down this way or reach back this way,
27:26 stretch your lower body because
27:29 it pushes out the blood from your pelvic area. Great!
27:32 Wonderful, and are there any other natural remedies...
27:35 We talk about getting sunshine and fresh air
27:37 throughout the month that's going to help contribute.
27:39 Oh sunshine is very good because it gives you vitamin D,
27:44 and it helps you relax when you go to bed.
27:48 And you must be sleeping early!
27:53 We don't sleep early because we're reading our novels
27:55 or watching T.V.! Okay, so no more T.V. now.
27:58 No more T.V... except 3ABN Yes, it relaxes me.
28:04 Okay, Dr. Cherie Lon, thank you so much
28:06 for being on the show with us today.
28:07 God bless you and remember
28:09 You are Wonderfully Made


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Revised 2014-12-17