Menopause, Migraines, Weight Loss Women

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We tend to live in a culture that isolates things and puts them in pills and bottles, then passes them off as health. My experience is that health has never come in a bottle or pill. Health is something that we build, that we nourish. That’s not to say that I’m against drugs or surgery. I am very much for those things when they are needed. What I’m talking about is people taking things like flaxseed oil, supplements or fish liver oils, rather than spending their energy and money on creating a healthy lifestyle, which includes eating well, exercising well and relaxing well.

R.P.: Well, there goes our chocolate.

STINGING NETTLE INFUSION

1 ounce dried stinging nettle
1 quart boiling water

Place nettle in a quart-sized canning jar. Pour water over the herb (you won’t be able to get all of the water into the jar because the herb will take up some room). Stir the herb to get the air bubbles out. There will now be room to pour some more water in.

Put a tight lid on the jar and let it steep for a minimum of 4 hours. I make it in the evening and let it steep all night. The next morning, strain out the plant material and remove it. Squeeze any liquid from the plant material back into the jar. Give the plant material back to the earth.

The liquid, which is the infusion, can be strained into another quart jar. You can drink it at room temperature, heat it up or ice it. You can put honey, milk or salt in it. One of my students even put her husband’s instant coffee in it to get him to drink it. Refrigerate what you do not drink.

S.W.: Actually, dark chocolate is one of the best foods we can eat to remain strong-hearted, strong-boned and juicy. Three quarters of an ounce of chocolate, (which is a tiny amount since most chocolate bars are 3 or 4 ounces) has more polyphenols than a cup of green tea or a glass of red wine. Polyphenols prevent heart disease. An ounce of dark chocolate also has more anti-inflammatory power than two aspirin, and is a better antioxidant than 500 milligrams of vitamin C.

R.P.: I know a lot of women suffer from migraines. What herbs can help?

S.W.: Herbs like feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium) can help, but feverfew must be taken on a daily basis. It is not something that can be taken in an acute situation. I’ll often ask a woman with a migraine, “What other way do you have of getting time alone?” Many women don’t have any way of getting time alone besides being sick. I encourage women with migraines (or women on their menses) to take a retreat day, a creative day or a day where you just stay in bed and read.

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