The Menstrual Cup: To Use or Not to Use

Speaking on good health is synonymous to speaking about nature. Modern technology has brought forth many special gifts to add to the journey of living. One of those gifts that have been gaining popularity among young women is the menstrual cup. I heard about this device a few years ago and since then I have never gave much thought to it until recently when I encountered the menstrual cup being promoted in the popular yoni steam training and therapies that are sweeping the spa world now.

I have a reserve about anything that is not natural especially when it is being told to women that something is ok to put inside their body. I did my research to find out exactly what the menstrual cup is, how it's used and whether I can comfortably recommend this device to the many families that value my knowledge on health.

When I talked to women who have used the menstrual cup one of the first things they have said to me is that it is made out of a natural material, but no one was able to tell me what that material was. It's silicon. Yes, the menstrual cup is made from a raw material called silicon quartz, This raw material is dug from the earth, sent to the factory and heated up to a melt down to remove the oxygen elements and then it is mixed with methanol to form chloromethane. To produce the silicone rubber for the menstrual cup, the mixture is then taken through the process of hydrolysis and polycondensation that make the rubber both breathable and water resistant. In the molding process of making the cups chemical coloring is added to make the cups pretty and appealing to the consumer.

According to the instructions for insertion, the woman is to fold the edges of the cup, insert it into the vagina to allow it to pop in place around the cervix and then the device catches her menstrual blood for a day. This process is repeated every day of her cycle. Some of the personal reviews that I have gotten from women have stated that the cup is good to use, some had to go through several sizes to find the right fit, and most say that it is messy when taking it out.

Now let's get back to nature. According to nature there are only two things that should go into the vagina, a penis and water. Everything else would be considered an invasion. It is not natural for a woman to stick her fingers and a device into her vagina everyday of her menstrual cycle. Good vaginal and yoni health has 6 rules that ensure the preservation, good health and positive regeneration. Anything that is good for the vagina should be:
1. Natural
2. Non-invasive
3. Plant-based
4. Hydrating
5. Pleasant
6. Simple

How does the menstrual cup measure up to these health standards?
1. Natural - No. The device contains chemicals and goes through an extensive processing to develop
2. Non-Invasive - No. A woman has to intrude upon the vagina at least 6 - 10 times during her cycle
3. Plant-based - No. Although made from a natural mineral silicon was not created for the vagina
4. Hydrating - No. The silicon rubber is water repellent
5. Pleasant - No. Too many complaints about the complication to get used to the cup
6. Simple - No. Too many complaints using the words: messy, bloody, difficult to put in and take out

One of the great spiritual thinkers of our time, Ra Un Nefer Amen says in Metu Neter Volume 1 that, "...75% plus of manufactured goods is not only unnecessary, it is a waste of natural resources that will be sorely missed in decades to come." I would put the menstrual cup in this category. Some women don't care about being natural, however for those that do these 6 Rules can be applied to assist in making decisions on the best health lifestyle.

Dr. Akua Gray

June 21, 2016

Houston, TX

www.drakuagray.com

Dealing with the Smoking Vice Grip

In this series, we have been gauging the value of our health this year and looking at what we are willing and able to change that will make living healthier and longer a reality. There is a demon among us that is at epidemic proportions in every community and possibly every family and that is the habit of smoking marijuana, tobacco or both. Smoking as an addiction is real and most people who know the risk often make an attempt to quit but find themselves failing again and again. To be successful in eliminating the smoke addiction is best done as a weaning process that begins with a change in the individual's consciousness about their health.

When I work with clients on releasing the smoke addiction there are two questions that I pose for them to ponder: How long do you want to live? and What are you going to commit to doing to make that a reality? What I find is that most smokers have a fear of respiratory disease and dying that slow painful death involving hospitals, breathing machines and cancer. However, even this fear is trumped by the nicotine and THC.

I also take my clients through a series of reality checks that make the risks involved in smoking more real by gauging the affects the addictions have had on them so for on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level. Let's preview some of these steps and you are welcome to use them and share them to help yourself or someone you love.

Dr. Akua's Smoking Health Gauge:
     1) In the initial health assessment we check the overall body pH. Which helps us determined the      chemical affects smoking has had on the body's Potential for Hydrogen
     2) Then we order a chest x-ray to be able to see the damage that has been done to the lungs up to this point in their smoking life.
     3) We also determine the emotional, mental and spiritual imbalances that make the use of smoke necessary in dealing with life.
     4) We develop a Stop Smoking Health Alternative that can include a nutrition plan, an alternative smoke formula of herbs that reduce the need for nicotine and THC in the brain and on a cellular level. This blend of organic herbs regenerate the lungs and creates that relaxed feeling without the harmful chemicals of cigarettes. The herbal formula includes mullein leaf, damiana leaf, lobelia herb, marshmallow leaf, skullcap herb and uva ursi leaf. Order the Herbal Smoke Formula today. www.alifeofpeace.org/Products

Of course this is a brief summary however the full program is available through a Professional Health Consultation at www.drakuagray.com 

Everyone who is trying to make a change for the better in their health needs a support system. Call on family, friends and those who are living the smoke free lifestyle that you desire. You might also need a personal wellness coach. To schedule a complimentary 15 minute consultation book with me today. Services

You can free yourself from the addiction of marijuana and cigarettes. Your health is valuable enough to commit to the try.

Dr. Akua Gray

June 10, 2016

Houston, TX

The No Menstrual Cycle Foolishness

Let me start this writing by saying, sisters you are sacred and your body is divine. Everything about you is perfectly natural from birth.  You have biological, glandular and hormonal systems in place through genetics and cellular memory designed to sustain human life on Earth that is perfectly in sync with the lunar and solar cycles of universal energy patterns that have existed in recorded time for more than 5,500 years.

It has been brought to my attention that the opinion that women are not supposed to have menstrual cycles has resurfaced from the coffers of time and is now been circulating around the internet by a few lively young men who are obviously just repeating what they have heard from other wellness lecturers like Pedro Soto, Phil Valentine and Llaila Afrika. This myth basically says that having a menstrual cycle for women is unnatural and not normal. It was foolishness 30 years ago and it is foolishness today. Wise up, just because it’s in a book that many people admire, myself included, doesn’t make it true.  In order to evolve in our thinking, we must question the opinions of our elders and do our own research and learn our truth based on life today. This pattern of analysis will give rise to the next generation of wellness thinkers that pave the way for improved health for the masses to come.

I know that many are not used to me using such language but it is necessary that women are made aware of their relationship with nature and the timeless rhythm of procreation that is a valuable aspect of how women flow as life givers to the world.

I often say that if you trace something back far enough you will find an African past to everything that exist. In the case of the menstrual cycle it has been documented in the medical papyruses of Egypt that to not have menstruation was considered to be diseased and there were prescribed remedies for this condition. The Papyrus Eber is an extensive translation of one of the medical text of Egypt that dates back to 1500 BC and includes remedies as far back as 3500 BC. This is proof the Egyptian women did have menstrual cycles. Now we know that we have proven that ancient African women had menstruation, let’s look at the world of other mammals in nature. Every other female mammal also has a menstrual cycle, the dogs, the cats, the elephants etc. Mother nature designed the divine feminine with innate instincts that helps her stay in alignment with the cycles of the body, animals and humans do not menstruate the same time in the same way, but the cycle is consistent throughout nature.
 
Medically no menstrual cycle during child bearing years is called amenorrhea which is classified as a pathological disease. The causes of this condition is poor nutrition, excessive stress, physical overwork of the body, poor body weight, and glandular malfunctions. Those that are perpetuating this myth often refer to women of indigenous cultures as being the role model for their proof that women who menstruate have a problem and are “unhealthy”. However, I have lived among the village women of Ghana for the last 7 years and I have seen many aspects of their life that would contribute to no menstrual cycle. The women are often overworked, the varieties of food that can provide nutritional balance is not a part of the daily stable diet, marital and family relationships are stressed due to poverty and substandard living conditions. With the presence of all these things I have worked with women who have consistent amenorrhea and some have gone through menopause as early as 35 years old.

The menstrual cycle can be calculated like clockwork according to the phases of the moon cycle on a monthly basis and seasonally according to the solar cycle in healthy women, this cannot possibly be the result of oppression. LOL! So you mean to tell me that man can tell your body or create the conditions that force your body to align with the moon for all of the women all over the world? Come on let’s really think about this and give credit to the creator for this divine system.

On another note, here a 10 ways to determine whether your menstrual cycle is healthy.
1. You can feel yourself ovulate.
2. Your body weight slightly increases by a pound or two one week before your scheduled period. 3. You have an increase in your desire for sex a week to two days before your scheduled period.
4. You have an increase in appetite one week before your period.
5. You do not have adverse PMS symptoms.
6. You feel your cervix open at the onset of the period.
7. The start to finish of your period is 5 days or less.
8. The pattern of your period follows the natural flow of light colored bleeding, not more than a few hours to a day of moderate to heavy flow and it ends with a light flow and then trickles off.
9. During your menstrual cycle you experience no pain or clotting.
10. During your cycle there is no foul odor.

Your cycle should be in alignment with the phases of the moon at certain time of the year. (See http://healthy-self-life.blogspot.com/2016/05/your-period-during-equinox-and-solstice.html)
I hope this sets at ease the mental and emotional confusion that many of you have called me with concerning the men, who have never had menstrual cycles, telling women that their menstruation is abnormal. As I stated in the beginning, your beautiful pituitary and hypothalamus glands designed by the creator knows exactly what their role is and how to work procreation miracles in your body. Find your peace and take good care of yourself. Contact me if you need me. www.drakuagray.com I’d be happy to come and talk with the women in your community about ways to gain and maintain a healthy cycle. Your womb health can be perfect too.

In my next womb wellness blog, I’m going to weigh in on the menstrual cup. Leave a comment below and share your menstrual cycle experiences or questions and I’d like to hear your opinion on the menstrual cup.

Light and love,

Dr. Akua Gray

June 8, 2016

Houston, TX