Taoism perspectives on Menopause and Midlife crisis

Taoism Basics

Taoism contains many profound theories which at first may be difficult to understand. In general, these theories reflect Taoism as a balanced relationship between human beings and nature.

The most basic concept of Taoism is Tao. Originally, Tao refers to the road extending in one direction. Roads having many forks or directions are not Tao in Taoists' opinions.

Tao also refers to the rules governing the behaviors of human beings and objects. For example the sun, earth, moon and other celestial bodies run along certain tracks. Laozi, the founder of Taoism, added his unique idea on Tao and made Tao as the core of his theology. In his opinion, Tao is a whole existing before the heaven and earth. Everything is the deviation of Tao. Laozi's Taoist theory contains dialectic thoughts, such as his consideration of the law of Tao to pertain to the opposites of human beings, concepts, and objects. For example, high and low, big and small, long and short, these opposite pairs exist on the condition of each other. Misfortune can also transform into fortune under certain situations. Another example is that there is no eternal weakness or hardness. Laozi used water as an example to support this thought. On the one hand water may be seen as the weakest thing in the world, but on the other, it can destroy the hardest thing such as a rock.

In order to make this theory more clear and vivid, Taoism draws a Taiji Diagram: a curve dividing a circle into two parts, one half is in white representing Yang (the bright side), while the other is in black, representing Yin (the dark side). There is a black dot in the white part, while a white dot is in the black part representing the Yin and Yang of each other and can transform into the counterpart. The diagram looks like two fish end to end, so it is also called the Diagram of Yin Yang Fish.

Qi, another concept in Taoism, makes reference to the whole world and the foundation of the unity of the world. It is the basic source of any tangible and intangible objects, including Gods and spirits, as well as humans and ghosts. The vital essence of Qi is called Jing (genuine energy), which is believed to be necessary in order to create anything when arranged in certain ways. Jing, Qi and Shen (Spirit) are considered to be the three most important elements in human beings.

Taoism on Female Menopause

Midlife transformation represents a changing point for any person, to start living life on their own terms. However, Menopause isn’t always a change a woman is ready to accept in their life. It isn’t as if a woman can choose when Menopause can happen. Yet historically this isn’t true. Female Taoist Practitioners were known to induce menopause up to a decade early on purpose in their life.

In terms of life, Taoism sees a human life divided into 3 major times as an adult.

1. The first chapter of life is all about fitting in with your society.
2. The second chapter of life represents becoming your own person.
3. The third chapter of life represents releasing oneself into spiritual exploration.

The second third of life is Mid Life transformation and Menopause. Taoist women used to induce menopause early on purpose to release the social responsibility of having children. A woman’s life in China was very much about family and having children. The choice of having a child wasn’t an easy one. It was a much safer and powerful place to induce menopause earlier and literally seize control of one’s own life to be outside society’s control.

For Taoists, who are renown for living well into their later years, their idea of living better is called having “youthfulness in old age.” Female Taoists were able to stay young and full of energy, enjoying long lives and remain physically fit and attractive all their lives. Their natural rejuvenation methods reveal a highly intelligent and unusual feminine perspective. And they are one hundred percent natural.

According to female Taoists there are two key things a woman must learn to do to maintain youthful in her body and spirit. First, she must reduce the amount of energy lost during her menstruations. Secondly, she must cultivate a healthy libido. These are also the key ingredients to the art of energetic menopause.

One of the sure signs we are losing too much energy during menstruation is when we experience strong pain, discomfort, high blood loss or excessive stress and irritability each month.

In the view of female Taoists a woman's energy loss is at its apex when she is releasing blood. As any woman knows, during menstruation, we tend to get tired more quickly and we can become short tempered with less provocation. We can also feel bloated, moody or listless. Unfortunately, these discomforts lead many women to 'wish it would be over' and look forward to Menopause as an end to these troubles.

Modern Perspectives

In current modern society things are very different. It’s medically more acceptable to have children older. In addition, our culture is more mind-centric: people want to control their bodies, and not be control by the body. In addition, this culture is youth-centric. People don’t want to lose the edge of their youth… To go through menopause is to be forced away from one’s youth.

In China where elders were respected, it makes sense to speed up menopause. In the western culture which worships youth it makes sense women would unconsciously rather delay her menopause.

A simple truth is this… reproduction comes at a high cost to our bodies. It burns the body at a higher pace and rate, in order to ensure reproduction. It turns out Midlife is a very biologically important time in human life. Mid life transformation is really all about resetting and then re-tuning our bodies to be more sustainable.

To live as a 20 year body, would in fact mean the average human body would fail and burn out by 60… The body needs to ramp down a bit in order to pace out life in a better fashion. Men who don’t go thru a full version of menopause die younger than women, on average 7 years younger.

Midlife and Menopause are all about improving the quality of life for a person. In addition to literally re-tuning a body, a woman’s body will age more gracefully when flowing to the Menopause process.

Menopause isn’t always an easy transition for many women. Mid life crisis itself is a hard time for many people, for both men and women. Yet for women who could be dealing with the effects of Menopause at the same time as their mid life transformation, the combination of both processes can feel overwhelming indeed.

Now one aspect that is interesting: The actual timing of Menopause and Mid Life Transformation aren’t always in sync with each other. Menopause can be induced earlier in life due to stress or other conditions. Likewise, a woman’s Mid Life Transformation could happen before menopause due to a partner being in mid life transformation or other life changing events. This period of time as a result can be a bit more confusing to a woman since while menopause traditionally represents when midlife transition happens, that isn’t actually necessarily the case either.

When a woman works with menopause it can become a very powerful gift to enhance her life. So a final consideration is this: midlife transformation often in our society becomes midlife crisis. The trouble is when pushing events off to become a crisis, that crisis of lifestyle then forces what would normally be a natural physical process, to feel like a deeper personal crisis itself.

In this process women need some reassurance to be reminded to not let crisis style thinking from the culture and peers, impose upon their own natural changing point in life. Menopause is actually a time of great power for a woman; power represents the ability to define oneself. Don’t lose the power of transformation to crisis style thinking and actions from our culture.

This time of life is the second third of life: The second third of life represents becoming your own person.

Taoism Views on Menopause Treatment

The two primary balancing factors in all things and in every human body are yin and yang, as mentioned earlier.  In the Taoist religion, yin and yang are the essential balancing forces at work. An object at rest will stay at rest can be considered yin. An object in motion, stays in motion is yang. Estrogen in Chinese Medicine is considered yin. Yin is also associated with body fluids, sleep, cold limbs, and constipation.  Yang would be linked to testosterone, physical movement, the thought process, heat or fever and digestion. These two energies should be as balanced as possible to remain healthy. When one is deficient, the other dominates and causes symptoms in the body leading to illness.  

In menopause, yin becomes depleted.  One of yin’s characteristics is cold. In Western Medicine, estrogen regulates body temperature in the hypothalamus.  When there is not estrogen present, hot flashes and night sweats occur.  The same is seen when yin declines and the yang takes over in the body.  Yang is associated with heat, without yin, the body temperature heats and becomes out of control.  Through the heating process of yang, dryness occurs, insomnia and the body feels constantly hungry.  If the body is left untreated in a yang state, this will create long term effects on women.  The process of menopause can last years from beginning to end with miserable side effects.

When menopausal symptoms begin and Chinese Medicine is utilized, the transition into menopause becomes comfortable. Acupuncture is a great method to remove heat and heat type symptoms from the body. It is also able to deal with insomnia and mood swings. Chinese herbal formulas are beneficial in building and nourishing the yin. Herbs can be used to deal with dryness, appetite control and regulating water. Together, acupuncture and herbal medicine is able to recreate balance and eliminating menopausal symptoms. Dietary suggestions may also be incorporated into a women’s lifestyle to stabilize the body once balance is obtained. 

Sources and Additional Information:

http://personaltao.com/taoism-library/midlife-crisis/midlife-menopause/

http://www.menstruation.com.au/menopause/energeticmenopause.html

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/religion/taoism/what_is.htm

http://www.altmd.com/Specialists/Emerge-Acupuncture/Blog/Combating-Menopause-with-Acupunture-and-Herbal-Med

Irregular Periods during Menopause: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Overview

In general, irregular periods are very common during the perimenopause. The most common early menstrual irregularity noticed in the perimenopause is a shortening of cycle length. Women with prior 28 day cycles will commonly describe 24 to 26 day cycles during the early perimenopause. Eventually, the cycle length widens and skipping menses typically occurs. These changes in cycle may lead to heavier flow in the early perimenopause, followed by a lighter flow and occasional spotting in the later perimenopause. A common reason for the late periods and prolonged bleeding is due to 'anovulation' (not releasing an egg). When this occurs, there is no signal to the body to cause a period (if there is no pregnancy). When this continues for long enough, the body starts to shed the uterine lining in a 'piece-meal' fashion, which leads to the prolonged bleeding. This can occur for long periods of time, or can correct itself by the next cycle. The unpredictable aspect of the perimenopause can be the most frustrating.

Regular Periods

Before we can define an irregular period, we must first determine what a regular period is. People often say that a regular period occurs every 28 days, but actually, every woman's menstrual cycle is different. Depending on your body and your hormones, you may get your period every 20 days or your may get your period every 35 days. A good way to determine if your periods are regular is to keep a chart and count the number of days between each period. If they occur with roughly the same number of days between each cycle, then your periods are regular. A regular period typically lasts 5 days, but it is completely normal to menstruate for anywhere between 3 and 7 days.

Irregular Periods

Irregular periods aren't unusual they affect about 30% of women in their reproductive years. An irregular period is any type of bleeding that is abnormal when compared to your usual menstrual cycle. This can include a late period, an early period or bleeding between periods. It can also appear as particularly heavy bleeding (menorrhagia) or scanty bleeding. Many women also experience irregular periods in the form of a missed period, continuous periods, or periods that occur twice in one cycle.

Causes of Irregular Periods

Irregular menstrual periods are usually the result of hormonal signals that have been thrown out of sync. In order to produce a period, your body makes hormones, like estrogen and progesterone. These hormones are kept in the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and ovaries inside your body. In order to trigger ovulation and menstruation, these parts of the body need to send signals to one another. Sometimes, these signals get crossed or skipped, causing irregular periods.

But what causes these hormone signals to get out of whack? Well, there are actually a number of things that can easily cause your hormone levels to change, other than the menopausal symptom. Among them:

• Pregnancy: If you are pregnant, your body will begin producing different levels of hormones. This will cause numerous pregnancy symptoms, including an end to your period.
• Stress: Stress is a common cause of irregular periods. If you are fatigued, worried, or anxious this can cause your hormones to become unbalanced.
• Diet: A poor diet or extreme weight loss or gain can also affect your hormones. Women with anorexia or bulimia often have no period or irregular periods.
• Exercise: Intense exercise can wreak havoc on your body, often causing irregular periods.
• Menarche: the cycles after a girl's first period may be irregular for some time. It can take up to 3 years to get regular periods.
• Hormonal Birth Control: Birth control pills and irregular periods sometimes go hand in hand. It can take a while for your body to adjust to the new levels of hormones delivered by hormonal birth control.
• Travel.
• Hormone problems. This may cause a change in the levels of the hormones that the body needs to support menstruation.
• Illegal drug use.
• Problems with the pelvic organs, such as imperforate hymen, polycystic ovary syndrome, or Asherman's syndrome.
• Breast-feeding. Many women do not resume regular periods until they have completed breast-feeding.

Complications

During the perimenopausal period, the most likely explanation for your irregular cycles is menopause. Perimenopause refers to the time before menopause when hormone levels, particularly estrogen, begin fluctuating. Perimenopause occurs, on average, about four years before actual menopause. Menopause is timed as the date of the final period, confirmed after periods have been missed for 12 months.

In the meantime, however, your hormones are all over the place. Some months, levels of estrogen and/or progesterone are up, and some months they're down. All of which affects your periods. You may go months with a normal period, or months with one that's so heavy you can't leave the house. Your period may last four days or two weeks. You may skip a month or have spotting between periods. You may find your period comes every 28 days or every 45 days. There just doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it.

Perhaps the most bothersome part of all this is the heavy bleeding. It's not just a slight inconvenience. Heavy bleeding makes it difficult for women to leave their homes, sit in meetings, shop or exercise, because they fear having an "accident." Additionally, the fatigue that often accompanies heavy bleeding can interfere with your daily activities.

Plus, heavy bleeding can lead to iron-deficient anemia, the most common health-related threat of heavy bleeding. While most cases of anemia are easily treated with oral iron supplements, sometimes the bleeding is so severe a woman's entire volume of blood drops, leading to shortness of breath, severe fatigue and heart palpitations that require hospitalization.

Treatment

As irregular periods during menopause are related to low estrogen levels, the best way to overcome irregular periods is dealing with hormonal imbalance. The major types of treatment options include lifestyle changes, alternative therapy, and medical procedures.

As a first step to get relief, women should make an effort to change easily controllable factors in their daily lives, such as diet and exercise. However, although lifestyle changes help to treat symptoms of hormonal imbalance, such as irregular periods, they don't correct the underlying problem. To attain maximum relief from irregular periods, menopausal women should seek an alternative treatment to help reverse estrogen decline and treat irregular periods at its source. As a last resort, a few women with severe conditions may find it necessary to consult their doctor about undergoing certain medical procedures. Keep reading below to learn about what each option for treating irregular periods entails.

Lifestyle Changes

Irregular periods caused by fatigue, stress, and poor physical health should be corrected by adopting a healthy lifestyle. This is the easiest, cheapest and safest way to alleviate menopause symptoms. Here are some tips:

• Enjoy a healthy diet: Abnormally long period cycles or absent menstruation are sometimes caused  by  poor  nutrition  and  lack  of adequate fat in the diet. Avoid crash dieting and extreme restriction, and eat a healthy, balanced diet.
• Be prepared: In the years leading up to menopause, menstruation may occur sporadically and at unexpected times. Always having a supply of sanitary napkins or tampons on hand can help.
• Reduce stress: Practicing stress reduction techniques like yoga, meditation, or aromatherapy can help to alleviate some of the uncomfortable symptoms associated with PMS, like headaches and irritability.

Alternative Medicine for Irregular Periods

Because lifestyle changes only treat the symptoms of hormonal imbalance, such as irregular periods, herbal supplements are a great solution for fixing the actual problem. Herbal remedies are typically cost-effective and free from serious health risks or side-effects.

The main types of herbs that are effective at treating menopausal symptoms include phytoestrogenic herbs, which have low levels of plant hormones that have an estrogenic affect in the human body, and non-estrogenic herbs, which encourage the body to increase its own hormone secretion.

Both of these herbs have been used to successfully treat hormonal imbalance. Phytoestrogenic herbs, however, have been criticized for their tendency to make the body less responsive to producing its own estrogen, thus worsening the problem. Non-estrogenic herbs, on the other hand, encourage the body to correct hormonal imbalance by itself.

In medical terminology, these plants are called "selective estrogen-receptor modulators" (SERMS). They don't just raise total levels of estrogen, but have the unique capacity to selectively increase estrogen in some organs, and block or reduce it in others. In a premenopausal woman suffering from elevated estrogen levels, for example, these herbs can decrease estrogen, while in a postmenopausal woman, they help to augment hormone levels. This herb thus balances hormone levels naturally.

An excellent example of a safe and effective non-estrogenic herbal supplement for hormonal imbalance is MacaActive. This herbal supplement is noteworthy for its ability to balance hormone levels in women by nourishing the hormonal glands, thus alleviating most disorders related to hormonal imbalance, including irregular periods.

Medical Procedures

After lifestyle changes and alternative therapy, medical procedures (especially hormone replacement therapy or surgical procedures like hysterectomy) are the most extreme treatment solution. Pharmaceutical companies driven by profit motives lobby hard to make women think that this is the only option for treating menopause symptoms, but in reality serious medical procedures are only appropriate for a very small percentage of women. Due to the elevated cost and associated side effects, including a higher risk for certain types of cancer, this step should only be considered as a last resort for women with severe conditions. Women who think this treatment may be appropriate for them should seek advice from their doctor.

Sources and Additional Information:

http://www.menopauserx.com/health_center/sym_ir_bleeding.htm

http://www.epigee.org/menstruation/irregularperiods.html

http://women.webmd.com/tc/missed-or-irregular-periods-topic-overview

http://www.healthywomen.org/content/ask-expert/1786/irregular-periods-and-perimenopause

http://www.natural-progesterone-estrogen-supplements.com/irregular-periods-treatments.htm

Journey through the Female Menstrual Cycle

Basic Biology: the cycle begins

When a baby girl is born, she has all the eggs her body will ever use, and many more, perhaps as many as 450,000. They are stored in her ovaries, each inside its own sac called a follicle. As she matures into puberty, her body begins producing various hormones that cause the eggs to mature. This is the beginning of her first cycle; it's a cycle that will repeat throughout her life until the end of menopause.

Let's start with the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is a gland in the brain responsible for regulating the body's thirst, hunger, sleep patterns, libido and endocrine functions. It releases the chemical messenger Follicle Stimulating Hormone Releasing Factor (FSH-RF) to tell the pituitary, another gland in the brain, to do its job. The pituitary then secretes Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) and a little Leutenizing Hormone (LH) into the bloodstream which cause the follicles to begin to mature.

The maturing follicles then release another hormone, estrogen. As the follicles ripen over a period of about seven days, they secrete more and more estrogen into the bloodstream. Estrogen causes the lining of the uterus to thicken. It causes the cervical mucous to change. When the estrogen level reaches a certain point it causes the hypothalamus to release Leutenizing Hormone Releasing Factor (LH-RF) causing the pituitary to release a large amount of Leutenizing Hormone (LH). This surge of LH triggers the one most mature follicle to burst open and release an egg. This is called ovulation. [Many birth control pills work by blocking this LH surge, thus inhibiting the release of an egg.]

Ovulation

As ovulation approaches, the blood supply to the ovary increases and the ligaments contract, pulling the ovary closer to the Fallopian tube, allowing the egg, once released, to find its way into the tube. Just before ovulation, a woman's cervix secretes an abundance of clear "fertile mucous" which is characteristically stretchy. Fertile mucous helps facilitate the sperm's movement toward the egg. Some women use daily mucous monitoring to determine when they are most likely to become pregnant. Mid cycle, some women also experience cramping or other sensations. Basal body temperature rises right after ovulation and stays higher by about .4 degrees F until a few days before the next period.

Inside the Fallopian tube, the egg is carried along by tiny, hairlike projections, called "cilia" toward the uterus. Fertilization occurs if sperm are present. [A tubal pregnancy, called ectopic pregnancy, is the rare situation when e a fertilized egg implants or gets lodged outside the uterus. It is a dangerous life-threatening situation if the fertilized egg starts developing and growing into an embryo inside the fallopian tube or elsewhere. The tube will rupture causing internal bleeding and surgery is required.

Uterine Changes

Between midcycle and menstruation, the follicle from which the egg burst becomes the corpus luteum (yellow body). As it heals, it produces the hormones estrogen and, in larger amounts, progesterone which is necessary for the maintenance of a pregnancy. [RU-486 works by blocking progesterone production.] In the later stages of healing, if the uterus is not pregnant, the follicle turns white and is called the corpus albicans.

Estrogen and progesterone are sometimes called "female" hormones, but both men and women have them, just in different concentrations.

Progesterone causes the surface of the uterine lining, the endometrium, to become covered with mucous, secreted from glands within the lining itself. If fertilization and implantation do not occur, the spiral arteries of the lining close off, stopping blood flow to the surface of the lining. The blood pools into "venous lakes" which, once full, burst and, with the endometrial lining, form the menstrual flow. Most periods last 4 to 8 days but this length varies over the course of a lifetime.

Bleeding - A New Theory

Some researchers view menses as the natural monthly cleansing of the uterus and vagina of sperm and bacteria they carried.

Cramps and Other Sensations

Even not an illness, menstruation brings particular specific symptoms, like:

• Moodiness
• Trouble sleeping
• Food cravings
• Bloating
• Tenderness in the breasts

Women can experience a variety of sensations before, during or after their menses. Common complaints include backache, pain in the inner thighs, bloating, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, headaches, breast tenderness, irritability, and other mood changes. Women also experience positive sensations such as relief, release, euphoria, new beginning, invigoration, connection with nature, creative energy, exhilaration, increased sex drive and more intense orgasms.

Uterine cramping is one of the most common uncomfortable sensations women may have during menstruation. There are two kinds of cramping. Spasmodic cramping is probably caused by prostaglandins, chemicals that affect muscle tension. Some prostaglandins cause relaxation, and some cause constriction. A diet high in linoleic and liblenic acids, found in vegetables and fish, increases the prostaglandins for aiding muscle relaxation.

Congestive cramping causes the body to retain fluids and salt. To counter congestive cramping, avoid wheat and dairy products, alcohol, caffeine, and refined sugar.

Natural options to alleviate cramping:

• Increase exercise. This will improve blood and oxygen circulation throughout the body, including the pelvis.
• Try not using tampons. Many women find tampons increase cramping. Don't select an IUD (intrauterine device) as your birth control method.
• Avoid red meat, refined sugars, milk, and fatty foods.
• Eat lots of fresh vegetables, whole grains (especially if you experience constipation or indigestion), nuts, seeds and fruit.
• Avoid caffeine. It constricts blood vessels and increases tension.
• Meditate, get a massage.
• Have an orgasm (alone or with a partner).
• Drink ginger root tea (especially if you experience fatigue).
• Put cayenne pepper on food. It is a vasodilator and improves circulation.
• Breathe deeply, relax, notice where you hold tension in your body and let it go.
• Ovarian Kung Fu alleviates or even eliminates menstrual cramps and PMS, it also ensures smooth transition through menopause
• Take time for yourself!

Anecdotal information suggests eliminating Nutra-Sweet from the diet will significantly relieve menstrual cramps. If you drink sugar-free sodas or other forms of Nutra-Sweet, try eliminating them completely for two months and see what happens.

Late or Missed Period

Sometimes a period may come late or be missed for the month. Frequently, a woman's first thought is that she is pregnant. Yes, that could be the case, but there are times when a woman may be late or miss her period for other unsuspected reasons. These reasons include:

• Significant weight gain/loss
• Fatigue
• Hormonal problems
• Tension
• Stress
• Ceasing to take the birth control pill
• Breastfeeding
• Increase in exercise
• Illness
• Infections
• STD's

Menstrual Myths

• Every woman's cycle is or should be 28 days long.
• Every woman will or should bleed every month.
• Every woman will or should ovulate every cycle.
• If a woman bleeds, she is not pregnant.
• A woman cannot ovulate or get pregnant while she is menstruating.

The above statements are myths. Every woman is different.

It's true that most women will have cycles that are around 28 days. But, a woman can be healthy and normal and have just 3 or 4 cycles a year. [However, while variations might be healthy and normal, they could also be a sign of a serious underlying problem. For example, a recent news article suggested that irregular menstrual cycles may predict Type 2 Diabetes.]

Ovulation occurs about 14-16 days before women have their period (not 14 days after the start of their period). The second half of the cycle, ovulation to menstruation, is fairly consistently the same length, but the first part changes from person to person and from cycle to cycle. In rare cases, a women may ovulate twice in a month, once from each ovary.

Conception/Fertilization of an egg, can only occur after ovulation. The egg stays alive for about 24 hours once released from the ovary. Sperm can stay alive inside a woman's body for 3-4 days, but possibly as long as 6-7 days. If a couple has intercourse before or after ovulation occurs, they can get pregnant, since the live sperm are already inside the woman's body when ovulation occurs. Thus a woman can become pregnant from intercourse for about 7-10 days in the middle of her cycle.

Did You Know?

• Women lose between 20 and 80 cc's (1-2 ounces) of blood during a normal period.
• One in six fertilized eggs naturally results in miscarriage, some of which are reabsorbed by the body and the woman is not aware she's been pregnant.
• The length of a woman's menstrual cycle (the number of days from the first day of one period to the first day of the next) is determined by the number of days it takes her ovary to release an egg. Once an egg is released, it is about 14 days until menstruation, for nearly all women.

Alternatives for Handling Menstrual Flow

1. Chlorine-free biodegradable 100% cotton tampons recently hit the market in response to environmentally conscious feminists. Studies have shown that organochlorines can be linked to cancer. Women using chlorine-free tampons are not putting chlorine into their bodies, nor are they supporting an industry which produces enormous volumes of industrial waste containing chlorine. If your regular pad or tampon isn't chlorine-free, write and urge them to make 100% cotton pads and tampons without chlorine.
2. Natural sponges from the ocean (not cellulose) are used by some women. They are dampened then inserted directly into the vagina. When full, they are removed, washed with water, and reused. Washable reusable cloth pads are also available.
3. The menstrual cap is another reusable alternative. It is similar to the cervical cap, but worn near the vaginal opening in the same place as a tampon. When full, it is simply removed, washed and reinserted. A cervical cap has also been used successfully in this manner.
4. The Keeper - a specially made reusable device for catching monthly flow.
5. Cloth (washable) pads - this is what most women around the word have always used.

To learn more about YOUR OWN cycle, keep a journal or calendar and make note of how you feel, emotionally and physically, thoughts about yourself, your body, your relationships with other cycling women.

Moon Time

Throughout all cultures, the magic of creation resides in the blood women gave forth in apparent harmony with the moon, and which sometimes stayed inside to create a baby. This blood was regarded with reverence: it had mysterious magical powers, was inexplicably shed without pain, and was wholly foreign to male experience. Early menstrual rites were perhaps the first expression of human culture.

Native American (Lakota)

"Follow your Grandmother Moon. Her illuminating cycles will transform your spirit." Begin with the Grandmother Moon at her brightest and most open. This is a time of outward activity and high energy. Sleep where the moonlight touches you. Walk outside where there are no artificial lights. Feel joy and creativity. As the Grandmother begins to cover her face, begin to withdraw into a quieter, less social place. Move to that inward place that is more about "being" than "doing." In the dark of the moon, when bleeding, the veil between you and the Great Mystery is the thinnest. Be receptive to visions, insights, intuitions. Go to a quiet separate place such as a Moon Lodge. Later, come out of the dark, a woman with a cleansed body. As the moon returns, come back out into the world, carrying your vision.

Customs and Traditions

• Indians of South American said all humans were made of "moon blood" in the beginning.
• In Mesopotamia, the Great Goddess created people out of clay and infused them with her blood of life. She taught women to form clay dolls and smear them with menstrual blood. Adam translates as bloody clay.
• In Hindu theory, as the Great Mother created the earth, solid matter coalesced into a clot with a crust. Women use this same method to produce new life.
• The Greeks believed the wisdom of man or god was centered in his blood which came from his mother.
• Egyptian pharaohs became divine by ingesting the blood of Isis called sa. Its hieroglyphic sign was the same as the sign of the vulva, a yonic loop like the one on the ankh.
• From the 8th to the 11th centuries, Christian churches refused communion to menstruating women.
• In ancient societies, menstrual blood carried authority, transmitting lineage of the clan or tribe.
• Among the Ashanti, girl children are more prized than boys because a girl is the carrier of the blood.
• Chinese sages called menstrual blood the essence of Mother Earth, the yin principle giving life to all things.
• Some African tribes believed that menstrual blood kept in a covered pot for nine months had the power to turn itself into a baby.
• Easter eggs, classic womb-symbols, were dyed red and laid on graves to strengthen the dead.
• A born-again ceremony from Australia showed the Aborigines linked rebirth with blood of the womb.
• Post-menopausal women were often the wisest because they retained their "wise blood." In the 17th century these old women were constantly persecuted for witch craft because their menstrual blood remained in their veins.

Sources and Additional Information:

http://www.fwhc.org/health/moon.htm

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/womenshealth/menstruation.html

http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/menstruation_cycle.htm

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/anatomy/female_reproductive_system/menstruation/hic_normal_menstruation.aspx