Although from Dr. Christopher's point of view, abortion certainly represents the most cruel kind of action, still many people are convinced by the medical world's claim that abortion is a good form of birth control. Doctors say that while in former times abortions were performed in unhygienic conditions, that today hospital abortions are perfectly safe. However, quite apart from the moral issue, which is really the paramount consideration anyway, consider this data from the Journal of the American Medical Association: "We compared prior pregnancy histories of two groups of multigravidas (women with more than one pregnancy)--240 women having a pregnancy loss up to 28 weeks' gestation and 1,072 women having a term delivery. Women who had two or more prior induced abortions had a two-fold to threefold increase in risk of first-trimester spontaneous abortion...The increased risk was present for women who had legal induced abortions since 1973. It was not explained by smoking status, history of prior spontaneous loss, prior abortion method, or degree of cervical dilation. No increase in risk of pregnancy loss was detected among women with a single prior induced abortion. We conclude that multiple induced abortions do increase the risk of subsequent pregnancy losses up to 28 weeks' gestation" (JAMA, June 27, 1980). In addition, research indicates that a previous abortion markedly increases the chance of temporary and sometimes permanent sterility (The People's Doctor, op.cit.). If you wish to bear children, do not submit to surgical murder via abortion. Indeed, it is better to avoid surgical intervention at all costs!
Suppose that a couple wishes to delay pregnancy, for health or other reasons. Delaying the birth of babies has become somewhat of a fad recently, and we do applaud any woman who conceives later in life and anticipates her baby with delight. Dr. Mendelsohn says that being fitted with a diaphragm is a safe method of contraception. Although it can be inconvenient, some couples use condoms. But by far the most accurate and holistic approach to birth control was developed by John and Evelyn Billings during the late 1950's. This Australian couple--both doctors--were searching for a more effective alternative to the rhythm method, which doesn't always work. Reading anthropological literature of African and Indian tribes, they found a passing reference to the idea, "wet for baby, dry for no baby."
The Billings's asked the women in their charge to observe their vaginal discharges daily and to write down their observations. Virtually all the women noticed patterns in the changes of mucus production, and hormone tests confirmed that these changes were related to hormone changes.
Calling their discovery the Ovulation Method, the Billings's saw it taught to women in many Third World countries, in this way, "When the earth is dry and you plant a seed, it won't grow. When the rains come, the earth is wet and a planted seed will grow. For a few days after the rains, the ground is still wet, and a seed can still grow. When the ground is dry again, the seed will not grow when planted." Proven 98.5% effective, this method of birth control can also be an accurate way to achieve conception, so it is a very positive thing.
Basically, it works thus: The body's hormones develop several eggs, fully maturing only one. When this is released into the uterus, it lives for 12 to 24 hours, and if fertility were contingent only upon the presence of the egg, a woman could only conceive during that period of time. However, accompanying the production of the egg is the presence of fertile mucus. You might experience the cycle something like this. After your period, you might have days where your vagina seems quite dry. Then as your estrogen rises, you'll get wetter as you approach ovulation. When you ovulate, the wet or sticky secretion changes to a slippery one--that is fertile mucus. In the presence of this mucus sperm can survive; in infertile mucus, it dies, as the infertile mucus is extremely hostile to sperm. If a couple abstains from intercourse when the wetness first begins to appear, continuing to wait until three days after the slippery mucus appears, they are sure to avoid unwanted conception; or if they have intercourse during this fertile time, conception is more likely to occur. Why should the waiting period precede the actual ovulation? Because women have cervical crypts inside the vaginal passage, which can store sperm in a healthy condition until the body ovulates--as long as there is moisture. You may have heard of women who couldn't imagine that they conceived, because intercourse occurred several days before they reached the middle of their cycle--using the calculations of the Rhythm Method. However, the sperm was stored in the cervical crypts and traveled up the fertile mucus at the proper time.
This very brief description of the Ovulation Method will not suffice if you wish to use it yourself. Mothering Magazine, No. 37 (Fall 1985), supplies a good article on the subject; other good books include Terrie Guay's Avoid or Achieve Pregnancy Naturally (Emergence Publications, 1978), and The Ovulation Charting Method (Small World Publications, POB 305, Corvallis, OR 97339).
Dr. Christopher emphasized that many reproduction problems stem from the unkind and uncooperative behavior of husbands. He spoke openly to husbands who misused the privileges of marriage. For example, a certain woman came to Dr. Christopher in tears. Although the family had a number of children, she said life wasn't worth living any more because her husband forced her to have intercourse with him every night, whether she was sick, in pain, or pregnant. He said that if she wouldn't have intercourse with him, he would go out and get it someplace else, because it would damage his manhood if he didn't have it every night. She asked Dr. Christopher if this were true, that it would force a man into having other women. Of course, the woman was happy to learn that she did not have to suffer this kind of treatment; she said that she had gone through years of misery. After being forced for so long, she wanted some rest.
Dr. Christopher felt very strongly about this because he observed similar things in his own family. His own sister, now deceased, confided that her husband in Colorado demanded relationships every night; if she didn't give it to him, he would go up into town to a professional prostitute for relief. She said that she had suffered many nights of real sickness, yet allowed him to do this rather than have him leave home and go out with other women. The lady who adopted Dr. Christopher, who was the only mother he knew, also went through a similar trauma. As a teenager, he came downstairs to find his mother in tears. His adopted father had left, and the young Raymond asked what was wrong. In all the years they were married, she said, she had to satisfy her husband every night, "regardless of how sick I am." She suffered from arthritis and diabetes, sick through much of her life. Although some people might consider this an oddity, Dr. Christopher saw enough of it during his practice that he felt he must speak out on it. When such a situation occurs, he said, it is nothing but rape. Of course, sexual intercourse should be an exchange, a cooperation, an agreement, tender concern for the other person. Anything else Dr. Christopher considered rape, a disgrace.
In an age where millions of abortions are performed annually in the United States alone, it is an ironic tragedy that many childless couples long to conceive but cannot. Gynecologists sometimes go to great lengths to secure pregnancies for these couples, although the methods are not completely safe. As an example, Clomid, which is a fertility drug, causes flushes in ten percent of the women who use it, and ovarian enlargement in fourteen percent. Massive cystic enlargement of the ovaries may develop, a painful condition. The ovary continues to enlarge after the drug is discontinued, reaching its maximum size seven days after therapy stops! Other side effects include blurred vision, double vision, spots before the eyes, after-images, sensitivity to light, floaters, waves, cataracts, detachment of the posterior vitreous, spasm of the blood vessels, and thrombosis of the retinal arteries. A woman may also experience abdominal distention, bloating, abdominal or pelvic pain and soreness, nausea and vomiting, increased appetite, constipation, diarrhea, breast discomfort, abnormal menstrual bleeding, dryness of the vagina, headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, vertigo, nervous tension, insomnia, fatigue, depression, increased urinary frequency and/or volume, skin rashes, hair loss, hair dryness, weight gain or loss, jaundice, and fluid in the abdomen.
All of these possibilities would be bad enough, but the possible effects on an infant are worse. If a woman does not know that she is already pregnant and begins taking this drug, Clomid has been linked to congenital heart disease, Down's syndrome, clubfoot, congenital intestinal conditions, abnormal position of the urethral opening, small head, harelip, cleft palate, congenital hip displacement, birthmarks, undescended testes, extra fingers, conjoined twins, inguinal hernia, umbilical hernia, fused fingers, funnel chest, muscle disorders, dermoid cysts, spina bifida, and other defects. Most mothers who take the drug will have multiple births, usually but not always, twins (The People's Doctor, Vol. 6, No. 11, p.6).
The other fertility drugs, such as Provera, Delalutin, or any other chemical substance designed to affect ovulation or fertility, present serious risks commensurate with these. A woman wishing to achieve a natural pregnancy cannot safely consider them.
One young mother, having difficulty with conceiving although she had previously borne two healthy children, went to a fertility specialist for help. The battery of tests--on both father and mother--revealed nothing really wrong, so the doctor gave her some medication without letting the woman know what she was taking. The fertility drugs produced a multiple pregnancy in the woman, and she bore triplets. Although the family was delighted to receive new little ones into the family, the multiple birth has been a tremendous strain on the family. Perhaps with more natural methods the family could have received their babies one at a time and with less stress and strain.
Dr. Mendelsohn suggests some basic approaches to conception, emphasizing the need to stay away from fertility drugs. He advises a nutritious diet, free of junk foods and additives, a sensible regular exercise program, an adequate amount of sleep and adherence to the marital requirements in the Old Testament. This law prohibits sexual intercourse during the menstrual period and for about a week afterwards. Not only does this time intercourse at appropriate fertility, but it also builds up the man's sperm so that there is better chance of fertilization. I feel that it also increases the health of the prospective mother, giving her female organs a chance to regulate themselves during her cycle.
Dr. Christopher had many successes helping couples conceive. One young married man came to see him about his wife, because he felt she was going to lose her mind. She wanted to have a baby so badly that she would hug her pillow at night. They had been married for some years without any success at conception. Dr. Christopher advised them to do the following: they should both begin to use the mucusless diet. In addition, they were to take two tablespoons of wheat-germ oil three times a day (this contains natural vitamin E, among other constituents, which helps the reproductive system). They were to take two capsules three times daily of false unicorn and lobelia combination. If they were faithful with this program, the Doctor promised that they would conceive.
And they did! They brought the little baby in to see Dr. Christopher, and the new mother was absolutely glowing with health and joy at the baby in her arms. This couple had other children as well after following the simple herbal program.
Some couples have conceived when they have included more zinc in their diets, especially that of the father. When the problem is too-thick sperm (common in people on a mucus-causing diet), researchers have found that mega-doses of Vitamin C (1000 mg. or more at each meal) has assisted in conception.
When couples marry and delay their children, they sometimes are tempted to continue on without having them. I can assure you that life without babies and children is much easier than with children! Nevertheless, I couldn't do without any of my six children, and I don't begrudge them the time changing diapers, reading books, and tending them in the middle of the night.
Dr. Christopher taught much the same. He said that there are just so many babies that are supposed to be here on earth, and if we do our part, we will be able to take care of them. People who rear large families, and devote themselves to the families during their growing years, can do wonderful things. Dr. Christopher knew a family in Salt Lake City who had sixteen children, adopting the seventeenth. The man was only a clerk in an office, and you can imagine that they had a hard time making ends meet. Yet four of the sons became attorneys, a daughter became a professional dancer who demonstrates throughout the United States, and a son became a well-respected organist who performs throughout the country, and others of the children have accomplished great things. I know of a family with seventeen children, natural children in an intact family. Although the mother and father have to pour themselves out to nurture and teach that many, the older children participate in tending the younger ones, the home is well-cared-for and clean, and the children are well-disciplined. Of any babysitters I have ever had in my home, the oldest girls in that family have to be the best! They are intelligent and thorough and wonderful to be around.
In this day and age, most people are tuned into their own personal needs and consider child rearing a secondary sort of pursuit. What could be more far-reaching, however, than raising a whole, happy child? This extends to the third and fourth generation, to many other people than the child. And as for personal achievement, raising children has matured me, given me insights and capabilities that I never possessed before--and wouldn't have achieved without my little ones. I expect that when they are raised, I will be a much richer teacher and writer than I could have otherwise been, and having them has not stopped me from pursuing my career, albeit in a more limited way.
Dr. Christopher said that the children will be born, sometimes against our will! He remembered visiting with a family on business matters. The youngest child was one of the most positive and aggressive children he had ever seen. The mother would tell her to do something and the child said, no--she wanted to do it her way, even though she was still young. She had her own mind, and did what she wanted to do when she wanted to do it; nobody would push her around! Her father just laughed and said that the rest of the children were obedient and docile, except for this aggressive little child. He said that they had decided not to have any more children and his wife had had an insert put in. The doctor assured them they wouldn't have any more. But months later, the wife found out she was pregnant. This child had decided that it would be their child regardless of the birth control method; the baby fought its way through and continued to be a fighter! The child was supposed to be there and made it safely. Dr. Christopher said that it sometimes pays just to let nature take its course.
Other herbs which have been used successfully to promote conception are red clover blossoms (these are considered by some to be as valuable as the false unicorn root), peppermint, stinging nettle, dong quai root, and of course red raspberry leaves.
If you are having difficulty ascertaining the timing of ovulation, or if your cycles are irregular, check to see if there is unnatural light interfering with your cycle. Sometimes when a street light shines in the window, or other lights are on all night, a woman's cycle can be really disrupted. Block out all unnatural light. Some practitioners have suggested that if women are quite irregular, they can keep a light on--say in the closet, or a mild night light--midway between periods, and that this will cause ovulation. A more natural, and more beautiful, alternative, is to sleep without the window shades, providing you live away from bright street lights. The light from the moon is thought to be healing and blessing; it can bring peace and regularity to your feminine cycle. Juliette de Bairacli Levy even suggests sleeping with no window screen--using an herbal insect repellent--to obtain maximum health. We have tried her repellent and it works. Here's how I made it: Combine equal parts of rue, wormwood, basil and rosemary. Grind in a mortar and pestle. Cover with about eight to ten times the herbs' volume of pure olive oil. You may add a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar if you wish. Allow to stand in the sun--or over a radiator or other constant source of warmth--for a week. Strain out the herbs well, and repeat. Repeat a third time, this time letting the herbs stay in the oil as long as possible, perhaps up to three weeks. Although the time involved here is long, the actual work is minimal. Strain well and bottle. Although we have not tested this in terribly infested areas, such as jungle or summertime Alaska, it works for us during our summer camps. Levy said that she and her children slept outside in the Mexican tropical jungles, using this preparation, and were never bitten! [EWH p.13-25]
See Also:
Cayenne: Dr. Christophers many Cayenne Combinations
Hormonal Changease: Dr. Christopher's Herbal Hormone Formula
Female Reproductive: Dr. Christopher's Herbal Aid for Female Reproductive Organs
Male Urinary Tract: Dr. Christopher's Prostate Formula
V.B.: Dr. Christopher's Vaginal and Rectal Herbal Bolus
Yellow Dock Combination: Dr. Christopher's Yellow Dock Combination
Dr. John R. Christophers "Mucusless Diet"
Suppose that a couple wishes to delay pregnancy, for health or other reasons. Delaying the birth of babies has become somewhat of a fad recently, and we do applaud any woman who conceives later in life and anticipates her baby with delight. Dr. Mendelsohn says that being fitted with a diaphragm is a safe method of contraception. Although it can be inconvenient, some couples use condoms. But by far the most accurate and holistic approach to birth control was developed by John and Evelyn Billings during the late 1950's. This Australian couple--both doctors--were searching for a more effective alternative to the rhythm method, which doesn't always work. Reading anthropological literature of African and Indian tribes, they found a passing reference to the idea, "wet for baby, dry for no baby."
The Billings's asked the women in their charge to observe their vaginal discharges daily and to write down their observations. Virtually all the women noticed patterns in the changes of mucus production, and hormone tests confirmed that these changes were related to hormone changes.
Calling their discovery the Ovulation Method, the Billings's saw it taught to women in many Third World countries, in this way, "When the earth is dry and you plant a seed, it won't grow. When the rains come, the earth is wet and a planted seed will grow. For a few days after the rains, the ground is still wet, and a seed can still grow. When the ground is dry again, the seed will not grow when planted." Proven 98.5% effective, this method of birth control can also be an accurate way to achieve conception, so it is a very positive thing.
Basically, it works thus: The body's hormones develop several eggs, fully maturing only one. When this is released into the uterus, it lives for 12 to 24 hours, and if fertility were contingent only upon the presence of the egg, a woman could only conceive during that period of time. However, accompanying the production of the egg is the presence of fertile mucus. You might experience the cycle something like this. After your period, you might have days where your vagina seems quite dry. Then as your estrogen rises, you'll get wetter as you approach ovulation. When you ovulate, the wet or sticky secretion changes to a slippery one--that is fertile mucus. In the presence of this mucus sperm can survive; in infertile mucus, it dies, as the infertile mucus is extremely hostile to sperm. If a couple abstains from intercourse when the wetness first begins to appear, continuing to wait until three days after the slippery mucus appears, they are sure to avoid unwanted conception; or if they have intercourse during this fertile time, conception is more likely to occur. Why should the waiting period precede the actual ovulation? Because women have cervical crypts inside the vaginal passage, which can store sperm in a healthy condition until the body ovulates--as long as there is moisture. You may have heard of women who couldn't imagine that they conceived, because intercourse occurred several days before they reached the middle of their cycle--using the calculations of the Rhythm Method. However, the sperm was stored in the cervical crypts and traveled up the fertile mucus at the proper time.
This very brief description of the Ovulation Method will not suffice if you wish to use it yourself. Mothering Magazine, No. 37 (Fall 1985), supplies a good article on the subject; other good books include Terrie Guay's Avoid or Achieve Pregnancy Naturally (Emergence Publications, 1978), and The Ovulation Charting Method (Small World Publications, POB 305, Corvallis, OR 97339).
Dr. Christopher emphasized that many reproduction problems stem from the unkind and uncooperative behavior of husbands. He spoke openly to husbands who misused the privileges of marriage. For example, a certain woman came to Dr. Christopher in tears. Although the family had a number of children, she said life wasn't worth living any more because her husband forced her to have intercourse with him every night, whether she was sick, in pain, or pregnant. He said that if she wouldn't have intercourse with him, he would go out and get it someplace else, because it would damage his manhood if he didn't have it every night. She asked Dr. Christopher if this were true, that it would force a man into having other women. Of course, the woman was happy to learn that she did not have to suffer this kind of treatment; she said that she had gone through years of misery. After being forced for so long, she wanted some rest.
Dr. Christopher felt very strongly about this because he observed similar things in his own family. His own sister, now deceased, confided that her husband in Colorado demanded relationships every night; if she didn't give it to him, he would go up into town to a professional prostitute for relief. She said that she had suffered many nights of real sickness, yet allowed him to do this rather than have him leave home and go out with other women. The lady who adopted Dr. Christopher, who was the only mother he knew, also went through a similar trauma. As a teenager, he came downstairs to find his mother in tears. His adopted father had left, and the young Raymond asked what was wrong. In all the years they were married, she said, she had to satisfy her husband every night, "regardless of how sick I am." She suffered from arthritis and diabetes, sick through much of her life. Although some people might consider this an oddity, Dr. Christopher saw enough of it during his practice that he felt he must speak out on it. When such a situation occurs, he said, it is nothing but rape. Of course, sexual intercourse should be an exchange, a cooperation, an agreement, tender concern for the other person. Anything else Dr. Christopher considered rape, a disgrace.
In an age where millions of abortions are performed annually in the United States alone, it is an ironic tragedy that many childless couples long to conceive but cannot. Gynecologists sometimes go to great lengths to secure pregnancies for these couples, although the methods are not completely safe. As an example, Clomid, which is a fertility drug, causes flushes in ten percent of the women who use it, and ovarian enlargement in fourteen percent. Massive cystic enlargement of the ovaries may develop, a painful condition. The ovary continues to enlarge after the drug is discontinued, reaching its maximum size seven days after therapy stops! Other side effects include blurred vision, double vision, spots before the eyes, after-images, sensitivity to light, floaters, waves, cataracts, detachment of the posterior vitreous, spasm of the blood vessels, and thrombosis of the retinal arteries. A woman may also experience abdominal distention, bloating, abdominal or pelvic pain and soreness, nausea and vomiting, increased appetite, constipation, diarrhea, breast discomfort, abnormal menstrual bleeding, dryness of the vagina, headache, dizziness, lightheadedness, vertigo, nervous tension, insomnia, fatigue, depression, increased urinary frequency and/or volume, skin rashes, hair loss, hair dryness, weight gain or loss, jaundice, and fluid in the abdomen.
All of these possibilities would be bad enough, but the possible effects on an infant are worse. If a woman does not know that she is already pregnant and begins taking this drug, Clomid has been linked to congenital heart disease, Down's syndrome, clubfoot, congenital intestinal conditions, abnormal position of the urethral opening, small head, harelip, cleft palate, congenital hip displacement, birthmarks, undescended testes, extra fingers, conjoined twins, inguinal hernia, umbilical hernia, fused fingers, funnel chest, muscle disorders, dermoid cysts, spina bifida, and other defects. Most mothers who take the drug will have multiple births, usually but not always, twins (The People's Doctor, Vol. 6, No. 11, p.6).
The other fertility drugs, such as Provera, Delalutin, or any other chemical substance designed to affect ovulation or fertility, present serious risks commensurate with these. A woman wishing to achieve a natural pregnancy cannot safely consider them.
One young mother, having difficulty with conceiving although she had previously borne two healthy children, went to a fertility specialist for help. The battery of tests--on both father and mother--revealed nothing really wrong, so the doctor gave her some medication without letting the woman know what she was taking. The fertility drugs produced a multiple pregnancy in the woman, and she bore triplets. Although the family was delighted to receive new little ones into the family, the multiple birth has been a tremendous strain on the family. Perhaps with more natural methods the family could have received their babies one at a time and with less stress and strain.
Dr. Mendelsohn suggests some basic approaches to conception, emphasizing the need to stay away from fertility drugs. He advises a nutritious diet, free of junk foods and additives, a sensible regular exercise program, an adequate amount of sleep and adherence to the marital requirements in the Old Testament. This law prohibits sexual intercourse during the menstrual period and for about a week afterwards. Not only does this time intercourse at appropriate fertility, but it also builds up the man's sperm so that there is better chance of fertilization. I feel that it also increases the health of the prospective mother, giving her female organs a chance to regulate themselves during her cycle.
Dr. Christopher had many successes helping couples conceive. One young married man came to see him about his wife, because he felt she was going to lose her mind. She wanted to have a baby so badly that she would hug her pillow at night. They had been married for some years without any success at conception. Dr. Christopher advised them to do the following: they should both begin to use the mucusless diet. In addition, they were to take two tablespoons of wheat-germ oil three times a day (this contains natural vitamin E, among other constituents, which helps the reproductive system). They were to take two capsules three times daily of false unicorn and lobelia combination. If they were faithful with this program, the Doctor promised that they would conceive.
And they did! They brought the little baby in to see Dr. Christopher, and the new mother was absolutely glowing with health and joy at the baby in her arms. This couple had other children as well after following the simple herbal program.
Some couples have conceived when they have included more zinc in their diets, especially that of the father. When the problem is too-thick sperm (common in people on a mucus-causing diet), researchers have found that mega-doses of Vitamin C (1000 mg. or more at each meal) has assisted in conception.
When couples marry and delay their children, they sometimes are tempted to continue on without having them. I can assure you that life without babies and children is much easier than with children! Nevertheless, I couldn't do without any of my six children, and I don't begrudge them the time changing diapers, reading books, and tending them in the middle of the night.
Dr. Christopher taught much the same. He said that there are just so many babies that are supposed to be here on earth, and if we do our part, we will be able to take care of them. People who rear large families, and devote themselves to the families during their growing years, can do wonderful things. Dr. Christopher knew a family in Salt Lake City who had sixteen children, adopting the seventeenth. The man was only a clerk in an office, and you can imagine that they had a hard time making ends meet. Yet four of the sons became attorneys, a daughter became a professional dancer who demonstrates throughout the United States, and a son became a well-respected organist who performs throughout the country, and others of the children have accomplished great things. I know of a family with seventeen children, natural children in an intact family. Although the mother and father have to pour themselves out to nurture and teach that many, the older children participate in tending the younger ones, the home is well-cared-for and clean, and the children are well-disciplined. Of any babysitters I have ever had in my home, the oldest girls in that family have to be the best! They are intelligent and thorough and wonderful to be around.
In this day and age, most people are tuned into their own personal needs and consider child rearing a secondary sort of pursuit. What could be more far-reaching, however, than raising a whole, happy child? This extends to the third and fourth generation, to many other people than the child. And as for personal achievement, raising children has matured me, given me insights and capabilities that I never possessed before--and wouldn't have achieved without my little ones. I expect that when they are raised, I will be a much richer teacher and writer than I could have otherwise been, and having them has not stopped me from pursuing my career, albeit in a more limited way.
Dr. Christopher said that the children will be born, sometimes against our will! He remembered visiting with a family on business matters. The youngest child was one of the most positive and aggressive children he had ever seen. The mother would tell her to do something and the child said, no--she wanted to do it her way, even though she was still young. She had her own mind, and did what she wanted to do when she wanted to do it; nobody would push her around! Her father just laughed and said that the rest of the children were obedient and docile, except for this aggressive little child. He said that they had decided not to have any more children and his wife had had an insert put in. The doctor assured them they wouldn't have any more. But months later, the wife found out she was pregnant. This child had decided that it would be their child regardless of the birth control method; the baby fought its way through and continued to be a fighter! The child was supposed to be there and made it safely. Dr. Christopher said that it sometimes pays just to let nature take its course.
Other herbs which have been used successfully to promote conception are red clover blossoms (these are considered by some to be as valuable as the false unicorn root), peppermint, stinging nettle, dong quai root, and of course red raspberry leaves.
If you are having difficulty ascertaining the timing of ovulation, or if your cycles are irregular, check to see if there is unnatural light interfering with your cycle. Sometimes when a street light shines in the window, or other lights are on all night, a woman's cycle can be really disrupted. Block out all unnatural light. Some practitioners have suggested that if women are quite irregular, they can keep a light on--say in the closet, or a mild night light--midway between periods, and that this will cause ovulation. A more natural, and more beautiful, alternative, is to sleep without the window shades, providing you live away from bright street lights. The light from the moon is thought to be healing and blessing; it can bring peace and regularity to your feminine cycle. Juliette de Bairacli Levy even suggests sleeping with no window screen--using an herbal insect repellent--to obtain maximum health. We have tried her repellent and it works. Here's how I made it: Combine equal parts of rue, wormwood, basil and rosemary. Grind in a mortar and pestle. Cover with about eight to ten times the herbs' volume of pure olive oil. You may add a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar if you wish. Allow to stand in the sun--or over a radiator or other constant source of warmth--for a week. Strain out the herbs well, and repeat. Repeat a third time, this time letting the herbs stay in the oil as long as possible, perhaps up to three weeks. Although the time involved here is long, the actual work is minimal. Strain well and bottle. Although we have not tested this in terribly infested areas, such as jungle or summertime Alaska, it works for us during our summer camps. Levy said that she and her children slept outside in the Mexican tropical jungles, using this preparation, and were never bitten! [EWH p.13-25]
See Also:
Cayenne: Dr. Christophers many Cayenne Combinations
Hormonal Changease: Dr. Christopher's Herbal Hormone Formula
Female Reproductive: Dr. Christopher's Herbal Aid for Female Reproductive Organs
Male Urinary Tract: Dr. Christopher's Prostate Formula
V.B.: Dr. Christopher's Vaginal and Rectal Herbal Bolus
Yellow Dock Combination: Dr. Christopher's Yellow Dock Combination
Dr. John R. Christophers "Mucusless Diet"
"Natural Healing with Herbs for a Healthier You"
