I wouldn’t wish a bursting ovarian cyst or severe dysmennhorea on even my worst enemy. From my freshman through junior year of high school, I spent increasing hours passed out cold on the floor with consequent concussions, writhing in pain and taking two or three times the recommended dosage of Advil. Too many days I was hooked to an IV in the emergency room or sitting in yet another doctor’s office instead of in school. My guidance counselor truly didn’t believe I’d get into college.
Every doctor of western medicine wanted to put me on hormonal birth control, claiming it would solve all my problems. I started taking an oral contraceptive out of desperation to get my life back but within 2 months, it was causing more problems than it was solving. I was constantly dizzy, had no appetite and my blood sugar was severely out of whack. I’m a big believer in following how you feel when it comes to your body, and I knew taking birth control wasn’t right for me. I’m not here to tell you to not use hormonal birth control but there are alternatives if you use it for managing things like PMS, ovarian cysts, or hormonal acne.
Photo by Kristine Mahan
The pill is technically a carcinogen, and using chemicals to alter the body’s natural processes is not something I can get behind. We’ve all heard the horror stories of hormonal birth control methods causing blood clots, contributing to certain types of cancer like glioma, hair loss, unplanned pregnancies and infertility to name a few.
Short of having my reproductive system removed at only 18 years old, my only other option was seemingly to try holistic medicine. It took time and research to open up to the idea, and then more time with diligent consistency for the holistic methods to begin working. As a consequence of the success I’ve had, I now plan to go into integrative medicine and spend the rest of my life helping others achieve optimal health. I’m not quite a hippie who rejects western medicine, but I believe western medicine is an extremely important diagnostic tool.
Holistic and integrative medicine use western diagnoses to then find the root of the problem and fix it. I learned to treat the root of my health problems instead of the symptoms. I’ve used acupuncture, herbs, yoga and most importantly, a strict anti-inflammatory diet to heal myself. Inflammation, as it turns out, is an extremely important concept to understand in achieving optimal health.
Photo by Kristine Mahan
If you take the pill for the sole purpose of keeping yourself from getting pregnant, there are alternatives. And no, it’s not just using a condom. The sympto-thermal method is a free and natural way to experiment getting in-tune with your body’s natural rhythm.