Womanly Wonders

Nov

01

One of Four Women are living with this…

abuse / From the Heart / Womanly Wonders Posted by Rebecca / 0 comments

I’m not usually one for statistics but I want to draw your attention to a really prevalent issue that is affecting women’s health and wellness in an epidemic way. First, let’s draw some comparisons:

The odds of a woman getting lung cancer in her lifetime: 1 in 15

The odds of a woman getting breast cancer in her lifetime: 1 in 9

The odds of a woman being assaulted by her husband or common-law partner: 1 in 4

One in four women will be assaulted by her husband or partner in her lifetime. It’s astronomical. It’s sad. It’s frightening. And it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

Now just stop for a minute and think about that. That’s 25% of the women you know! And that’s just the numbers of women that we know about – that’s not the ones who are too afraid to report it. So we know that the actual numbers are higher than this.

I want to draw your attention to this very serious situation because it is so prevalent, and because most woman abuse does go unreported. This means that as the abuse escalates, as it typically does, no one knows about it! Women tend not to tell their doctors or ministers…but they may tell their friends. And we each have a responsibility to help women living in abusive situations as best that we can.

In my practice, I have worked with many women survivors of abuse (childhood and spousal abuse). The effects of the trauma are far-reaching and include, but are not limited to, symptoms such as:

Headaches
Gynaecological problems – abnormal periods, STDs, pelvic pain
Miscarriage
Infertility
Irritable bowel syndrome
Asthma
Depression
Anxiety
Eating disorders
Obsessive-compulsive behaviours

Women often present to me for care for one or many of the above symptoms. During my time with them, I often discover that these symptoms are clearly related to previous abuse trauma.

The most rewarding thing for me in my 9 years in practice is working with women who have abuse histories and complex symptoms as a result…and witnessing their health improve, watching them return to happiness, seeing them embrace life once again. It truly fills my heart with joy.

But what can we do to stop woman abuse from occurring to begin with?

Clearly it is a complicated matter…but I think the first step is to start talking about it. We talk a lot about the odds of a woman getting breast cancer, dying of heart attack, etcetera, but we don’t discuss the issue of woman abuse. And woman abuse is far more common! One in four women will be assaulted by her partner, remember?

It’s time that we started. It’s time that we, as a community, shone a light on this issue once and for all.

Join me in support of the London Abused Women’s Centre Shine the Light on Woman Abuse campaign this November. Visit www.lawc.on.ca for all the details. Spread the word…shine the light…stop the abuse.

Oct

04

307 women 1 hour $30700 donated

From the Heart / Gratitude / Womanly Wonders Posted by Rebecca / 0 comments

Some weeks ago I received an email from my colleague and friend, Janet Christensen, inviting me to participate in a new philanthropic initiative in London called 100 Women Who Care. I had the opportunity to attend the inaugural event on Monday night and it was downright inspiring!

Here’s the premise: 100 women gather four times per year for one hour. Before they meet, they are welcomed to submit the name of a charitable organization that they feel would benefit from a large donation. During that one hour meeting, the names of three of these charities are drawn at random from the hat. The woman that recommended that charity then has 5 minutes to explain why their charity is deserving of the donation and what the money will be used for. The group thus hears three presentations from three different women about three fabulous charities. And then, each woman present casts a vote. Which charity would they prefer that the money go to? Ballots are counted and majority rules. Each woman present then writes a cheque for $100 to the winning charity, hands it to the organizers, and their work there is done!

And here’s the exceptional part about London: there were not 100 women present at the inaugural meeting set to raise $10000. There were 307 women present who collectively raised $30700 all in one hour.

WOW. The women of London really DO care!

I cannot really describe for you the feelings that I had being in that room on Monday night. There were many people there that I knew – old friends, colleagues, clients, cousins – and several hundred women that I did not know! What an amazing thing to be gathered in that room with so many women all with one sole purpose: to donate money to a worthy cause. The passion and the purpose and the power in that room was palpable. I came away feeling stronger, knowing that we had made a massive impact in a very short time in an environment of safety, security, and democracy.

If ever you doubted the power of women, doubt it no more.

307 women. One hour. $30700 donated.

London women, you are amazing! To organizers Susan Nickle and Twee Brown: thank you for allowing me to be a part of your movement. What an honour!

Nov

17

I am sick of this

Body Talk / Womanly Wonders Posted by Rebecca / 0 comments

I have to say it and this may come as a shock but I love having a menstrual cycle. It’s true…I do. I love everything about it. I love how my body changes and shifts, physically and emotionally, in response to the hormones coursing within my blood. I love thinking about how my body is cleansing itself during the bleed. And I love the little surges of power I feel when I ovulate! (I like those best, really!)

Now I well recognize that for some women, their cycles are painful and uncomfortable. Some women bleed so much that they can’t leave the house. And some women have cycles so sporadic that they have no clue if and when the next will come. I see variations of all sorts of menstrual problems in my office every single day. And to those of you with those problems that are still suffering, I say, find a good homeopath and get to the bottom of your hormonal distress so that you can enjoy your cycles the way that nature intended!

But to those of you who use derogatory language to refer to your cycle, please just stop. I am sick and tired of it. I am sick and tired of listening to you belittle your body and I am sick and tired of witnessing you put harmful chemicals into your system to stop your period from coming. I am also pretty sick and tired of the media portraying menses as a “curse,” and advertisers making us feel “dirty” when we bleed.

Why are we allowing something so sacred and natural and purely feminine to be degraded in these ways?

When we participate in the suppression and degradation of the female menstrual cycle, we participate in the suppression and degradation of womanhood. Is that really the message you want to send to your daughters?

So if you cannot embrace your cycle as I do because it is painful or uncomfortable, please seek help from a well-trained homeopath. And if you cannot embrace your cycle as I do because you think it’s dirty or disgusting, then at least please keep your thoughts to yourself. The health and happiness of our daughters is at stake.