Guest guest Posted October 8, 2003 Report Share Posted October 8, 2003 Letters From Women who Stopped the Period I have known many instances on which menstruation ceased in three to eight months after an improvement in diet. The following letters are representative of some new experiences for females on raw food diet. Menstrual Period it is never painful, but oftentimes I simply don't have them. So I'm wondering whether it is normal for women to have menstrual periods? And what has been the experience of other women on raw food diets? (I'm 27 years old.) I remember Ehret talked of women ceasing to have periods. And another woman who lived for years on a raw fruit diet said she only menstruated once every 6 months. Donna W., Berkley, Feb. 72. Dear Viktoras:I wrote to you some time ago; at that time I was alarmed because I had missed three months " menstrual and had only been eating basically raw foods for exactly that period of time. I have still not menstruated once since commencing this regime, I feel no monthly discomfort, physical or mental, to speak of and in general I can attest to the fact that MISSING PERIODS IS NO LESS THAN A JOY. However, I still wonder how easily I should accept this phenomenon, whether I am going to experience some unforseeable malady in the long run. These are all things which my friends when hearing about my condition become alarmed over. I myself generally have belief that my body is doing better than ever but occasionally the words of these friends make me question again this peculiar diet. After so much anxiety and urging, I finally went to a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Stanford Medical Center in Palo Alto. There I had a kind of review with a Dr. L. to whom I mentioned the Hippocrates Health Institute and Professor Ehret. Having seen several other women with cases much like mine, and as he was in the process of writing a paper on the phenomenon.he was reasonably interested in my case. He either has written or will write to your Institute in Boston for further information. Of course in diagnosing me, he felt my diet was lopsided; but he also seemed to believe that I was in fine shape and there at least has been no damage incurred in the short run. Well, I could have told him that. He urged me to begin eating high protein foods and that if I did so I would most likely begin Menstruating again, although spottedly at first. It was a harmless visit but I didn't really learn too much. What I think I want to hear more than ever is that other women perform (or react) as I am and that I may still be able to reproduce. I have heard you say that you know women whose flow ceased and that is mostly the reason why I am not very worried about all this. I'll be interested to hear from you when your time permits. Sincerely, Mary R. Aromas, Calif., Dec. 1971 Dear Viktoras: Finally received a copy of Love Your Body. The book inspired me to get back to raw foods. every day I freak out with one of your delicious recipes. It makes it so easy to stay on this " strange " diet. I have moved again and have new friends. They're into yoga and meditation. I join them several times a week. They have seen your book (L.Y.B.) and were so delighted that someone can make the subject of nutrition so simple. I have been preparing some of your sauces with sprouts at the ashram. Now everyone wants your book. So cash enclosed, rush me two dozen copies. Life is one of change. WHILE WORKING AT THE INSTITUTE, I had withdrawn from dexamil and other stimulants after 8 years of being hooked. I found that the raw food and juices provided me with more energy without the 5 p.m. letdown. Also MY MENSES REDUCED TO A CLEAR, SCANTY FLOW, LASTING ONLY FEW HOURS WITH HARDLY ANY BLOOD LOSS. Those five months with you at Hippocrates were some of my most memorable moments into body and spirit awareness. After returning to secretarial work, I SLIPPED BACK TO EATING WHATEVER WAS AVAILABLE - generally one meal a day, using dairy products, fruit and vegetables and occasionally meat, plus lots of coffee and cigarettes. The loss of energy brought me back to the occasional use of dexamil. MY MENSTRUAL PERIOD BECAME DIFFICULT, LASTING 4 TO 7 DAYS. Five months ago, I took your advice and replaced dexamil and coffee with several cups of Ginseng tea. The results were marvelous - feeling high without letdown. Now I have even given up the use of the tea, except for special occasions. Since I returned to the raw life, I feel the new me. Presently, I'm preparing a photo portfolio - I think I'm ready for the fashion world. Summer is here and the raw food is easy. My period has practically disappeared. I hope I will be able the handle the diet in winter. Thank you for your kindness. Love A.K. Results from considerable research do answer the questions these young women have asked: Is monthly bleeding natural? Can non- menstruating women become pregnant? Is cessation of menses due to good health or extreme poor health? How may menses be eliminated? The beginning of the menstrual flow occurs actually at the end of the menstrual cycle. It represents the climax of twenty-eight days, plus or minus, of preparation of the body for conception. The menstrual cycle is governed by hormones produced by the pituitary glands and the ovaries. Estrogen and progesterone are the substances that the ovaries naturally manufacture under the direction of the master gland, the pituitary. With ordinary amounts of these hormones in the bloodstream, the pituitary gland signals the ovaries to release an ovum every month at the midpoint between the menstrual periods. When hormone levels are a little higher, as in pregnancy, the pituitary does not direct ovulation. Undomesticated animals do not menstruate, but they have periodic mating seasons known as heat, rut or estrus which usually occurs several times a year, generally in spring and autumn. In the normal state, during ovulation, the genital organs of females of lower animals are slightly congested and are moistened with mucus. However, after the non-menstruating animal is captured, the estrus becomes transformed into a bloody flow, manifesting as the menstrual hemorrhage, This results from an unnatural diet and artificial living conditions. This occurs with the cow, donkey, mare, bear, pig, cat, rabbit, dog and monkey. Monkeys menstruate five times a year. This has very little to do with fertility, since they rut only twice. The cow has a discharge, sometimes quite bloody, every three weeks; yet it ruts only once a year. Monkey Menses Dr. Rhodes, professor of obstetrics ot the University of London, discusses the difference between menstruation and estrus. " The lining of the uterus is the endometrium, which is under the control of the hormones of the ovary. Since these are produced in waxing and waning cycles the endometrium waxes and wanes in time with the hormone secretions from the ovary. THIS IS TRUE FOR ALL MAMMALS, BUT ONLY IN THE PRIMATES IS THE PHENOMENON OF MENSTRUATION SEEN. This is the periodic shedding of the endometrium from the uterus which is seen as a bloody discharge from the vaginal orifice...the physiological significance of menstruation is not known... " In the lower animals estrus occurs in regular cycles depending on the species and its environment. The vaginal bleeding which is seen in the animals at estrus is not comparable to menstruation as bleediing is associated with ovulation in the estrus cycle, but the vaginal bleeding of menstruation occurs only after the death of the corpus luteum approximately fourteen days after ovulation. EVEN AMONG THE PRIMATES MENSTRUATION IS NOT UNIVERSAL AND IN THE NEW WORLD MONKEYS OCCURS ONLY SPORADICALLY, BUT IN THE OLD WORLD MONKEYS AND THE ANTHROPOIDEA MENSTRUATION IS THE RULE. " A probable explanation for the difference in menstrual pattern of the Old and New World monkeys is that the monkey of the Old world (Europ, Asia and Africa) has been contaminated with processed food through many years contact with these civilized countries. The New World monkeys have had very little contact with factory-made food. Even now, the New World is far more uncivilized and primitive than the Old World. Menstrual bleeding in Old World monkeys is associated with congestion in the arterioles located in the uterus lining. New World monkeys (Cebus, Ateles, etc.) have periodic cycle of bleeding, microscopic in nature and associated with minimal tissue loss. Goodman, Wislocki and Kaiser have pointed out that THERE ARE NO COILED Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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