It has been so lovely spending the last few days in the historic city of Timisoara surrounded by colleagues as passionate as I am about Gemmotherapy. All weekend long the conference hall on the University grounds was filled with over 200 physicians and pharmacists from throughout Romania who gathered to hear the latest Gemmotherapy findings. While it may seem like quite a distance for me to travel in order to connect with like-minded practitioners, I can assure you it is completely worth the time and effort.

This year I was honored with the opportunity to give two presentations. Saturday morning I presented alongside Joachim on our co-developed GemmoExpert™ software program and my unique perspective to case taking with Gemmotherapy. I have covered quite some distance with this topic these past months and my methodology has been refined to where I now feel it is teachable. It feels amazing to pass this information on so others can benefit.

The following morning I shared what I see as the 4 Stages to Healing the body (Opening Elimination, Cleaning Organs, Restoring Function and Optimizing) with Gemmotherapy and diet. This 4 stage process has become so integrated into my methods, I was a bit shocked by how much interest it garnered. I was approached for more information by practicing physicians as well as professors who are teaching Gemmotherapy as an adjunct therapy in medical school. That alone made the trip worthwhile.

While it is a pleasure to share my thoughts with the group, there is also much for me to gain both from the formal presentations and informal discussions. I particularly enjoyed hearing a presentation given by the Association Secretary and Pharmacist, Carmen Ponoran, on the detailed history of Gemmotherapy that began in Romania in 1979, ten years prior to their Revolution. She shared that it was Dr. Teodor Caba who was the first to present and publish on the subject of Gemmotherapy in Romania. After studying the emerging works from Belgium research physician Pol Henry, Dr. Caba  referred to Gemmotherapy as a modern drainage homeopathic medicine. While this would later be seen as an incorrect definition, his message piqued the interest of many practicing homeopaths.

In 1989, nearly ten years later and the year of the Romanian Revolution, the first extracts were actually prepared in Romania by a Dr. Pavel Chirila. Four years after that, Plant Extrakt produced the first commercial line of Gemmotherapy extracts which were at first only exported to Italy. The products later were promoted within Romania. The use and practice however increased exponentially in 1989 when my mentor, Dr. Sorina Soescu, translated the only Materia Medica on Gemmotherapy from Italian to Romanian. With ready material in the Romanian language, Plant Extrakt began offering weekend training courses which led to the formation of their current professional organization the ARGH.

Dr. Soescu, a renowned scholar and physician, gave a remarkable presentation on the Gemmotherapy tree extracts that best promote drainage for cleaning the body and the big tree remedies that best support lymphatic drainage in chronic cases. This was quite complimentary to the information I had shared earlier on opening elimination. While we each planned our talks a continent apart, they were remarkably synchronized and opened the path for many hours of talks between the two of us on the days following the conference.

Once the conference came to a close, my family was hosted by Dr. Soescu and her husband, who led us on two marvelous day trips. One trip took us out of the city to the outdoor historical museum Satului Banat Ean Timisoara and a nearby natural preserve where we hiked the trails under the canopy of Alder, Birch, Beech, and Sweet Chestnut—all trees of Gemmotherapy. The following day we traveled much further south by car toward the Serbian border and boarded an antique train along Romania’s oldest rail path. It was a fascinating ride along the mountain side this time having a look down onto the tree canopy in this densely forested region. It should come as no surprise that all of this pristine nature provided us with the perfect backdrop for many collegial discussions.

Now closing out my fourth trip to Romania I still marvel at the natural beauty of this country and the warmth and spirit of the people. What a week it has been and we depart with such a sense of fulfillment and ready to begin the next leg of our journey in Germany.

Keep Living Well,

Lauren

I love the simplicity of washing and chopping a selection of seasonal vegetables, tossing them with coconut or olive oil, a dash of Himalayan sea salt and letting them roast away or cook on the grill. It’s Plant Based Eating at its best in my opinion.

Our favorites for roasting include cauliflower, sweet potatoes, green beans, fingerling potatoes, asparagus, and carrots. For grilling, I suggest green beans, asparagus, eggplant, portobello mushrooms, and zucchini.

Any of these veggies are taken to a new height when topped with a dollop of this amazing Romesco sauce featured on Choosing Raw. I’m certain this recipe will soon join your collection of favorites! Add a simple green salad or slaw to start and dinner is served.

Ingredients
1 clove garlic, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups roasted red peppers (from the jar)
1 teaspoon oregano (dried)
1/2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Black pepper to taste
1/3-1/2 cup water

Full Instructions Here

Could this be your daughter?

Last week I discussed the painful disappointment women face when they believe they have been doing the right thing for their health, to only discover down the line that it actually created deeper and more serious problems. It is frustrating as a health practitioner to see so many women, under ill advice, actually exacerbate the root causes of the menstrual symptoms they are trying to fix. This issue must be taken more seriously by all women as it not only impacts their fertility and overall sense of wellbeing, but also the next generations to come.

Today I will share a case story from the youngest group of women I typically see in my practice. It is important to note this is a very common case which would conventionally be treated with hormonal birth control to suppress symptoms.

Young Girls with Menstrual Imbalances: Beth’s Story

I am always uplifted by the opportunity to address elimination imbalances early in a young woman’s life because our work together not only establishes a symptom-free healthy adulthood, but will benefit any future generation she may choose to have. This young lady, if she stays on this path, now understands she can actually impact her own health and well-being and won’t face the issues her mother or grandmother had with chronic symptoms like uterine fibroids, menstrual hemorrhaging and ovarian cancer setting in during their 40’s.

Beth, a shy and scholarly 15 year old, was brought to my office by her mother for help due to prolonged and painful menses of 7 days followed by up to another 7 days of clear discharge. The discharge would have barely ended and she would begin bleeding again. Beth also shared that she regularly experienced frequent loose bowel movements and woke during the night to urinate—both clear signs her kidneys were working very hard, yet still could not keep up.

Here’s What I Saw:
Based on my intake and her symptoms of skin issues, dry/brittle hair and nighttime head perspiration, I suspected Beth had a very low vitality and high state of inflammation. The discharge and pain she experienced only confirmed that her body was highly inflamed. Her body was using her uterus to dump the acids not removed by the bowels and kidneys. At the same time, her body was attempting to use as many emergency exits as possible to clean the wastes not being eliminated by her kidneys—her skin, her bowels, her vagina, and she had chronic sinusitis.

Here’s What I Did:
While I had experience with a known protocol that would address the vaginal discharge directly, I was concerned the intensity of the drainage would trigger an aggravation in her urinary tract. It was clear to me I needed to regulate Beth’s bowels first (frequent loose stools) which would keep the kidneys from working so hard (night urination) to then take the pressure off the uterus so it was not in a constant cleaning mode. Because her body was dumping acids through her bowels and her uterus, it was necessary for the first protocol to support her kidneys at this stage in the process. Beth began by taking three gemmotherapy extracts—Blueberry and Birch Sap each morning and Lingonberry each evening.

We also had a serious talk about diet. To begin with she needed to alkalize her body, so I suggested she begin by eating the all fruit breakfast to help her lymphatic system get off to a good start each morning. I also know dairy products are not kind whatsoever to women with menstrual symptoms of any sort. Beth was a yogurt lover and that was going to be a hard change for her. I suggested she get started with the fruit in the morning and the Gemmo protocol and see for herself how her next menses went. If she saw some results she may be more inclined to make the switch off dairy. Beth felt that was fair.

Here’s What Happened:
After two weeks Beth reported she was now only having 2 bowel movements daily as opposed to 4 or more and while she did have a painful menses, it was much shorter in length and with 50% less cramping than in the past. These were all good signs her body was beginning to respond. While she was still waking at night to urinate, it was only once compared to three times indicting her kidneys were not working so hard. She also reported she was willing to go dairy free the next month to see if she could improve her symptoms further. That was a very mature decision for a 15 year old and the right one.

After a total of six weeks on the protocol and the dietary changes, much of the inflammation had come down and Beth’s next menstrual cycle increased in length to 21 days. Our goal would be 28-30 days, however, my experience has been with cases like it often takes until the 3^rd or 4^th cycle to get there. Much depends on how compliant clients are with changing their diet and routinely taking their Gemmos.

While there is still plenty of work ahead for us, it is clear this first stage of Gemmotherapy treatment is getting Beth’s body out of the acute inflammatory state she was in and beginning to balance elimination.

Final Thoughts:
Had Beth’s mom taken the conventional or allopathic path for her daughter’s symptoms, the underlying cause would never be addressed. Once Beth decided in her 20’s or 30’s to stop the birth control to get pregnant, she very likely would face great difficulty with conception because her body would have an incredible build-up of lymphatic wastes and be in a state of acidosis. This build-up of waste impairs organ function, particularly reproductive organs. Because birth control meds suppress and alter normal menstruation, those organs have not had an opportunity to clean for years! Future fertility is not always the first thing on our minds when we see our daughters struggle with painful periods, but it needs to be. It’s often hard for us to imagine the distant future, so it might be easier to sum it up this way: any action that decreases by one third the body’s ability to rid itself of wastes leads nowhere other than chronic inflammatory dis-ease. I encourage all of my clients to pause and mindfully consider any “solution” that would impair the long-term health and well-being of their daughters—even if those solutions seem to resolve the current symptoms. It’s very important for everyone to know there is a natural, holistic path that eliminates the symptoms because it deals directly with the root of the problem.

While I will be moving off the topic of women’s health for the next four weeks to share my adventures and findings in Europe, it is by no means the end to this discussion. It is far too near and dear to me to drop and a dialogue I want to see in a much wider arena than just this blog. Please do share this information with your female family members, friends and colleagues. We can change the course of women’s health care from the grassroots level, but only if we inform one another and take the steps required.

Oh yeah…. if this doesn’t say “refresh,” I don’t know what does. Just look at all those crisp, crunchy, hydrating ingredients! I think this recipe just earned a weekly appearance on the Hubele dinner table. The star ingredient, jicama, is certainly one you will want to be including in your raw salads this summer. Despite it’s bland appearance it packs a high dose of Vitamin C and fiber. Jicama is a great addition to wraps and spring rolls and is delicious cut into sticks and dipped in guacamole or hummus for an afternoon snack.

Chef Kelly’s simple yet satisfying slaw is a perfect antidote for these humid days and a great bring-along to any of your Memorial Weekend celebrations.

Here’s what you’ll need:

JICAMA SLAW
Yields: Approx 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 medium Jicama, peeled and julienned
2 medium carrots, julienned (peeled if not organic)
1/2 English Cucumber, julienned
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 lime, juiced
1/4 tsp salt, to taste
Garnish with chopped cilantro

Method:  1. Chop all of the vegetables, combine in a large bowl and toss. 2. Chill before serving.

If you are struggling with the shift to plant based eating, whether it is stocking your kitchen or sourcing recipes, Chef Kelly may be just your solution. Reach out and tell her what you need and I am certain she can help find the answer.

The Root of Infertility, Part 1

Last week I encouraged mothers to talk to their young preteen and teen daughters about the body’s cleaning and elimination process and how certain menstrual symptoms indicate an imbalance that needs to be addressed rather than suppressed. Today I want to share more on the treatment of menstrual symptoms and how I have seen over and again that the suppression of these symptoms only adds to inflammation and further lymphatic stagnation which can lead to decreased fertility.

What I am seeing
I am seeing three distinct groups of women who come to my practice for help with menstruation/fertility.

1. Young women in their teens with menstrual imbalances.
The conventional allopathic answer for their menstrual issues would be birth control to suppress the menstrual flow. To have the opportunity to talk with these young ladies before they take that step is greatly rewarding work. I speak with them about the fact that menstruation has an extremely important role in the body’s ability to clean itself and suppressing that can lead to a host of ongoing secondary symptoms equal or greater than the original ones they experience once a month. The secondary symptoms one might expect when blocking menstrual flow include:

• acne
• roseacea
• eczema
• sinusitis
• candida/yeast infection
• reoccurring UTIs
• irritable bowel symptoms
• staph
• migraines

These young ladies will also learn that optimizing and bringing balance to their elimination methods naturally early in life will save them from the countless chronic symptoms down the road that their mothers or grandmothers may have struggled with.

2. Women in their 30s on hormonal birth control or currently coming off birth control.
These women are trying to manage the symptoms that they had in their teens or twenties which have now returned. They usually come to see me for one or more of the above secondary symptoms that have developed while on a menses suppressing birth control method. While some of these young women have made the connection between their symptoms and their birth control method, most have not. Most have never considered that suppressing their menstrual cycles could lead to any problems. This is where our conversation begins about how the body cleans and the importance of optimizing all routes of elimination. The protocol I use for these women begins with changing birth control methods, cleaning the inflammation that has built up and then going to work balancing their elimination so that the original pre-birth control symptoms are healed:

• Brown bleeding at the start or end of menses
• Clotting
• Heavy bleeding
• Pain that keeps you from your normal activities
• Bleeding that starts and then stops
• Mid-cycle bleeding
• Cycles that are shorter than 28 days or longer than 32

These symptoms can all be addressed with a combination of gemmotherapy, homeopathy and in most cases, dietary changes.

3. Women ready to get pregnant.
These ladies have either been told by a physician their chances are low or have been trying and have yet to successfully conceive. The common factor between them is they have had past experiences with a menses suppression birth control, menstrual irregularities since their teens or have been prescribed Accutane for their acne.

My work with these women, as with all my clients, begins with restoring elimination. This can take some time particularly when Accutane has been used. Then I move on to a protocol especially for cleaning and fortifying the organs that SUPPORT fertility (adrenal glands, pituitary, liver, and kidneys). By focusing on the support organs we are addressing the root of the problem.

It’s important to see that the process I use is in direct opposition to tradition fertility treatment that pushes reproductive organs which have already given clear indications they are not operating optimally. In that scenario the body has already indicated it cannot support the creation of life and the use of conventional medical science forces the issue rather than healing the root cause. This also happens to be why these pregnancies become high risk—there is an increased rate of pre-eclympsia among mothers, a greater percentage of premature births, and birth defects under these conditions of conception.

For these reasons and because I know healing the root of the condition works, I follow protocols that clean and fortify the organs that support women’s fertility. My protocols include gemmotherapy, homeopathy and dietary changes.

Right Reasons, Wrong Choice
Believing you have been doing the right thing for you or your family, to only discover down the line that you were actually creating deeper and more lasting problems is truly heartbreaking. I am disappointed that so many women I work with have been, under ill advice, exacerbating the root causes of their menstrual symptoms. I take this issue very seriously because, for many women, this not only impacts their fertility and their overall sense of wellbeing, but the next generations to come. Next week I will discuss this topic further and share some case stories from each of the three groups.

“It’s not what happens to us that determines our character, our experience, our karma, and our destiny, but how we relate to what happens.”

 —Lama Surya Das

CONSIDER: all that you may encounter in the day ahead, every single experience from the forgotten appointment, the downed internet, a surprise phone call, the kiss from your child, sitting in traffic, standing in line; each and every experience is an opportunity in itself to deepen character.

Within each instance is the potential to enrich and grow or remain stuck, unconscious, self serving. We don’t need to travel far or enroll in a course to develop character, we only need to wake up and show up to the school of our daily life.

DO: write yourself a reminder today in whatever manner that works for you. A sticky note on the computer screen,  posted on the front door, your bathroom mirror, or write on your hand the words, “building character.” Then take advantage of the lessons today holds and let your reminder gently guide you back when you lose your way.

Summer is probably the easiest time to ditch dairy as the appeal for “creamy and rich” certainly lessens when the temps and humidity creep up. Having said that, I fully believe this is not an either or proposition. You can have creamy and rich AND be dairy free, it will just come from plant based sources.

While switching what you put in your coffee or tea and what you give the kids to drink can be fairly straight forward, maneuvering in this new territory when preparing meals can, at first, pose a challenge. Stocking your kitchen with some basics and having a few handy substitutions in your repertoire will allow you a good deal of flexibility in your cooking as well as permit you to continue using your tried and true recipes.

Here are some of the Hubele Family favorites from a variety of sources you may want to check out. I hope they inspire you to make the leap!

Coconut yogurt replaces crème fraich
Katy Salter, blogger for The Debrief, sings the praises of coconut yogurt in place of crème fraiche which is a staple in most European kitchens. She found that it can be served with deserts as well as to make savory dips and dressings by adding lemon, seas salt and herbs. It can be bought at most grocery stores or you can certainly DIY it.

Whipped coconut milk replaces whipped cream
Coconut milk saves the day here. By placing a can in the fridge for several hours and then spooning out the thick top to whip, you can create delectable cream for desserts. The remainder can be used in smoothies, soups or curries. I suggest keeping a can or two in the fridge this way you will always be prepared. Want to give this a test run? May I suggest making this incredible parfait by Delish Knowledge.

Cashew cream replaces whole cream
An easy recipe for cashew cream is one of the most powerful tools that any vegan home cook can have in his or her arsenal. This simple cashew cream can be modified according to the application; add a bit of sugar for desserts, or lemon and sea salt for savory dishes.

Makes 2 1/2 – 3 cups (can easily be halved)
2 cups raw cashews
1 cup cold water, plus more as needed
1/2 – 3/4 teaspoons sea salt (optional)
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
2 tablespoons evaporated cane juice, demerara sugar, or maple syrup (optional)
Here are the full instructions.

“Cheezy” sauce replaces cheese sauce
While there are countless recipes out there, this is a family favorite because it is simple and has only 5 ingredients. It can be made ahead or in batches if you a cheese sauce kind of family.

3/4 cup unsweetened, organic unflavored almond milk (I prefer Califia Farms)
6 tbsp nutritional yeast (Bob’s Red Mill makes one you can find most grocery stores or bulk food stores)
1 tbsp Earth Balance or other non-dairy buttery spread
1 tbsp all purpose flour (replace with brown or sweet rice flour for GF)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder, we replace with a scallion or a tablespoon of a small chopped shallot
1/2 tsp kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Here are the full instructions.

Hemp seeds replaces cream in dressings
While there are several plant based ingredients that will make your salad dressing creamy, my go-to these days happens to be hemp seeds. I love the powerhouse of nutritional benefits they provide and since we sub cashews and coconut for many other uses, it gives me an opportunity to mix it up a bit.

Here are the ingredients to make a standard hemb-based dressing in a blender, but you will certainly want to read further for several variations offered by Veggie Voyager.

2 T hemp seeds
1/3 cup citrus juice, lemon, lime, orange, or combination
1/2 cup olive oil
1 scallion
Salt & Pepper to taste

“Most of our suffering comes from habitual thinking. If we try to stop it out of aversion to thinking, we can’t; we just go on and on and on. So the important thing is not to get rid of thought, but to understand it. And we do this by concentrating on the space in the mind, rather than on the thought.”

– Ajahn Sumedho, “Noticing Space”

Consider: how accustomed we become to fullness. Whether it is keeping a full tummy, a full schedule, a full house, a full fridge…full makes us feel safe, for a while, until we discover it is really exhausting and limiting.   However, when we want to shift and “find space in our life” it can feel like an insurmountable task and it is, if we only look at the BIG picture. However, if we concentrate on the small spaces, rather than the fullness between our thoughts, we can grow them and find peace.

Do: connect with your breath. After the third cleansing breath, place your attention on that tiny space that exists between the trail of thoughts. By relaxing, if only for a nanosecond, into that space you will begin to feel the joy of nothingness. This nothingness is the place where you will find your rest.

In my May newsletter I introduced the talented Chef Kelly Ritter who is an expert in plant based eating and nutrition. I’m so happy to have the opportunity to share one of Chef Kelly’s original recipes with you all here. This delightful cold soup is the perfect lunch or raw first course for an evening meal when following my alkalizing eating plan. The timing of this recipe is perfect as we drift into the sultry spring/summer days ahead and turning on an oven is the last thing any of us want to do. You can find out more about Chef Kelly and her kitchen make-over and meal planning services at EatHealShine.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients:
2 avocados, ripe
3/4 of an English Cucumber
1 stalk celery
Juice of 1 lime
3/4 cup cilantro, loosely packed
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp coconut aminos or namu shoyu (both are raw items similar in flavor to soy sauce)
1 cup water (if wanting warm soup use warmer water)

Garnish:
Cashew sour cream (see recipe below)
Fresh Herbs – chopped chives or cilantro

Method:  1. Blend all of the soup ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. 2. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the cashew sour cream and fresh herbs.

CASHEW SOUR CREAM
1 c. cashews, soaked overnight if possible but not necessary
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water + more as needed
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender. Continue to add water one tablespoon at a time until you get the cashews at the desired consistency. Serve. To store: place in a container or squeeze bottle and keep refrigerated. As it cools, the cream will thicken up. Before serving, add water and stir until it’s back to the desired consistency.

A talk I want you to have with your daughters…

Last week I shared some very important information about painful menstrual cycles and endometriosis along with the good news that it is treatable—naturally. I want to follow up this week to encourage you to talk to your daughters and share this information, before they begin menstruating and keep an open conversation about the topic once they begin.

FIRST I want you to let them in on some big news that is apparently not common knowledge: their periods do not have to be painful! I hope everyone heard that because it is true. The reality is that painful periods are a sign of a deeper imbalance within the body interfering with its ability to self-clean. If addressed early, the pain will stop and the host of chronic diseases that plague many women later in life are much less likely to occur.

The degree of discomfort felt premenstrually and during menses is directly related to the amount of inflammation present in the abdominal region. The more pain, the more inflammation and the more inflammation the more likely there will be future fibroids or tumors. Inflammation is simply accumulated waste; acid based lymphatic fluids that have not been eliminated by the bowels or kidneys. This inflammation left unattended does about the same thing in your body as it would if you let trash overflow in your back yard. It becomes a prime target for bacteria and for the reproduction of unhealthy cells.

NEXT I want you to explain that menstruation is part of a cleaning triad for a women’sbody along with bowel movements and urination. Because webelieve a clean body can and will heal itself, we need this triad to function optimally. If either the bowels, the kidneys, or uterus is not doing its full job to remove acidic wastes, the others with attempt to pick up the slack.This plays out in menstrual symptoms this way—heavy flow indicates either the bowels or kidneys are slacking, and pain indicates lymphatic stagnation. Noting this early and taking steps to rectify the imbalance will keep undue stress off the bowels and/or kidneys and prevent a build-up of inflammation.

AND I want you to point out the important signs that indicate an imbalance. Help your girls get comfortable sharing this information with you. Again, the more we can take care of at 14 or 16, the fewer complications we’ll face at 28 or 40. The symptoms include:

• Brown bleeding at the start or end of menses
• Clotting
• Heavy bleeding
• Pain that keeps you from your normal activities
• Bleeding that starts and then stops
• Mid-cycle bleeding
• Cycles that are shorter than 28 days or longer than 32

Further explanation can be found here in this post.

FINALLY I want you to discuss with your daughters the double edge sword of our modern birth control methods. Yes, they may be quite reliable in preventing pregnancy, but they wreck absolute havoc with the perfectly designed system our bodies use to clean AND lead to serious issues later on, the least of which, sadly, is infertility.

While many methods may offer relief to menstrual symptoms such as cramping and heavy bleeding, they are stifling the body’s ability to clean in a BIG way and, trust me on this, the body will find alternative routes and it won’t be pretty. Because most birth control methods reduce, shorten or stop menstrual flow, they are only making the root cause of the original symptoms worse. The sinuses, skin and vagina are all emergency elimination routes for women’s bodies, so when menstrual flow is suppressed you will see the body attempt to clean through these routes and also see undue strain on the bowels and kidneys. The development of the following are all related to suppressed menstrual flow and should be taken as clear signs of imbalance: all forms of acne, roseacea, eczema, sinusitis, candida/yeast infection, reoccurring UTIs, irritable bowel symptoms, staph and migraines.

So what is the answer? This is something I talk about it my office a lot. Personally I’d much rather see healthy birth control methods released over an iWatch any day, but apparently I’m a minority. Faced with options today it really comes down to choosing the lesser of evils unless you are in a mature and committed relationship. I don’t think those exist among teens, so my suggestion is a low dose birth control pill along with a gemmotherapy protocol to support the liver and kidneys from the build up of toxins and then condoms to prevent the spread of STDs.

Looking back upon the last few generations of women, none have gotten it right, so it’s high time we do so now and simultaneously spread the word. A woman’s menstrual symptoms are direct indicators of her health and if we continue not to speak about it as our grandmothers did, or power through as my generation did, or stifle symptoms with modern pharmaceuticals as this generation is doing, we will continue to manifest chronic dis-ease that really can be avoided.

I’d like to dive deeper into this story next week because I can’t remember the last time a 30-something woman came into my office without a birth control horror story. You’ll probably not be surprised to know that many are now struggling with infertility. Check back next Friday to learn why and how those early menstrual symptoms and many birth control methods can lead to fertility issues.