Participants: Amy Wellard, Cherie Lon Fernandez
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 |
Revised 2014-12-17