Sacred Moon Time. Why Your Menstrual Cycle is an Important Wellness Indicator

For many people, the menstrual cycle or moon time is taboo. It's something that we often dread or try to avoid altogether. I used to be a woman who hated her period. This is because my cycles used to be excruciatingly painful and heavy.  Before I discovered holistic or integrative medicine, the only solution available was birth control pills. I took them religiously to keep my periods under control. As an OB/GYN resident, once I discovered that the bleeding that occurred on the pill was completely artificial I began to suppress my cycle. I enjoyed the freedom of going months on end without any bleeding. I also relished being free from pain.

Once I began to delve deeper into holistic gynecology,  I learned that a woman's moon time is not something to avoid or suppress. It's an important barometer of a woman's overall health. Women are finely tuned and complex creatures. Our menstrual cycles can be affected by environmental stressors, chemicals, as well as the level of inflammation within our bodies. These factors influence your mood, the pattern of your menstrual cycle, menstrual flow as well as your level of discomfort. Feeling depressed, anxious or like you want to divorce your husband every month before your cycle can be a sign of hormone imbalance. If your breasts feel like they grow a few sizes and are about to explode every month before your period comes, this can be a sign of estrogen dominance. Relative excess levels of estrogen in your body can also result in heavy periods that have you miserable and wearing diapers.

Here's why it's important to work with a holistic or integrative women's health provider to help you decipher the signs provided by your moon time. Problems with your cycle can be a sign of thyroid dysfunction such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Hormone imbalances associated with missed periods can be associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes as well as elevated cholesterol. Debilitating cycles can be influenced by underlying intestinal inflammation. Unchecked, this inflammation can increase your risk for future autoimmune disease and fertility challenges. Estrogen dominance can potentially affect your risk of developing breast cancer in the future. A holistic practitioner has access to tools beyond pharmaceuticals, synthetic hormones, and surgery to help you to improve your menstrual health and ultimately your overall health.

Contact me if you'd like to reclaim your moon time and start your journey to an abundant health life.

If you're not already following me on Instagram, check out today's post for an practical way to detox your moon time and improve your menstrual health.