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Pain During Your Period. Try a Vaginal Steam

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Carlin Ross

I had ovarian cysts when I was a teenager. I would get my period 2-3 times per month and it was excruciating. My doctor's solution was to put me on the pill. If I only had access to the Birth Institutes's information on vaginal steaming I could have saved myself from 15 years of numbed out sexuality.

Vaginal steaming dates back to Mayan times and has been used successfully to treat dysmennorhea, amenorrhea, ovarian cysts, cervical fibroids and as a general health aid to prevent any of those ailments.

It makes total sense to me - so many women are plagued with painful infections because their vagina is always covered and doesn't get any air or sun. And when you menstruate once a month there are times when everything isn't going to be expelled from your uterus.

All you have to do is gather some herbs, let them steep in hot water and sit over them to stimulate your uterus to cleanse itself. The Birth Institute explains how to do vaginal steaming at home:

"Vaginal steaming at home is a very simple process that involves water, plants, a blanket, a chair and about an hour of time. If you have oregano, basil, marigold and rosemary in your garden, pick a double handful of fresh leaves and stems – about a quart jar loosely filled. Use one herb or any combination of the above. If using dried herbs, you need about an ounce of dry plant material. Other herbs useful for vaginal steam baths include burdock leaves, motherwort, chamomile, yarrow, plantain, squaw vine, lavender and thyme. Please note we do not use essential oils in liquid form for vaginal steams as they are far too concentrated for this purpose. Simmer the herbs in a covered pot with two quarts of water for ten minutes and allow to steep for five minutes.

Remove the pot from the stove and place it under a chair with open slits – a cane, wood or plastic yard chair will work. Some women like to use the toilet by placing a pot inside the commode but others find it slips and slides around too much. The woman removes her clothes including under-wear, from the waist down. Covered with a blanket from the waist down, she sits over the steaming herbs. This keeps the steam contained under the blanket. Be sure she feels comfortable with the steam temperature and is not exposed to cold drafts. If it is scalding hot, pull the pot away for a few minutes and try again until the steam feels warm and comfortable. Some women say they taste the herbs on their tongues after only five minutes. Wrap her upper body in a dry, warm blanket and be sure that her feet are resting on a carpet or she is wearing warm socks. Lasting about twenty minutes, the steam bath introduces a lot of healing heat and cleansing plant oils into the uterus, cervix and ovaries.

Afterward, the woman should ideally lie in bed for an hour under warm covers or just be sure to stay out of all drafts and keep warm. Bedtime is the best time to do a vaginal steam. How often? When there is pathology with menses, we ask the woman to do three bajos within the week before her period begins. She repeats this monthly until her menstrual fluids are pink and there is no cramping. For post-partum women the midwife decides when the time is right depending on the condition of the mother. All things being normal after delivery, the steam bath could be performed as early as the first day or sometime within the next seven to eight days. Each midwife seems to have a different protocol, but over the decades I have learned that it is anywhere from one to nine days after delivery and may be repeated more than once. For post-partum women the objective is to cleanse the uterine membrane."

{To order a special vaginal steam stool or to learn about courses with the Arvigo Institute, go to their website www.arvigotherapy.com}

So simple...so basic...so in our control.

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