Collagen is one of those building blocks. It focuses on bones, ligaments, and muscles.
It also has a job for skin, teeth, hair, and nails.
These are fast growing cells. In order to get the pelvic womb space properly aligned it must have good components. You don’t want to build a massive life sized LEGO pickup truck with a pile of melted goo plastic. That’s why eating collagen is amazing for your insides. While it is supporting joint mobility by doing all it can for giving your body these really nourishing amino acids like glutamine, you are feeling better!
What else does it have in it that mothers need?
Hyaluronic acid - in connective, epithelial, and neural tissues, is a sugar that makes skin plump and young looking
HA “a key molecule in skin aging”
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3583886/
https://www.ebi.ac.uk/chebi/searchId.do?chebiId=16336
Glucosamine & chondroitin - “Glucosamine sulfate and chondroitin sulfate are naturally occurring substances found in the connective tissues of the body, including the cartilage that covers the ends of bones in the joints.”
https://www.oaph.com/patient-resources/education/truth-about-glucosamine-and-chondroitin-sulfate
Calcium - helps blood clot normally, builds strong bones and teeth, regulates muscle contractions including the heart
Magnesium - supports proper neural function of the brain, aids sleep, calms down hyperactivity and smoothes out nervousness, helps restless legs
“Magnesium is an essential mineral and a cofactor for hundreds of enzymes. Magnesium is involved in many physiologic pathways, including energy production, nucleic acid and protein synthesis, ion transport, cell signaling, and also has structural functions.”
https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/minerals/magnesium
What’s an amino acid?
...Good question.
An amino acid is like a LEGO®. Put some LEGO®s together and you’ve got a protein.
Fine. What’s a protein?
Proteins are very important in your body because they do all sorts of things for you in order to live!
Proteins are: antibodies, enzymes, messengers, structural components, transport and storage.
For example: Immunoglobulin, phenylalanine, growth hormone, actin, and ferritin.
Probably the most important in our case would be the messengers aka the hormones!
That's why we
are here and you are reading this right now.
Imagine a conveyor belt and on that conveyor belt are packages, tiny and medium, large and extra small, extra large and every shape and size imaginable.
Those packages are hormones and the conveyor belt is your blood!
Your blood now carries all of these messengers all over your body taking the message inside of the package and delivering it perfectly to where it needs to go.
“Proteins are large, complex molecules that play many critical roles in the body. They do most of the work in cells and are required for the structure, function, and regulation of the body’s tissues and organs.
Proteins are made up of hundreds or thousands of smaller units called amino acids, which are attached to one another in long chains. There are 20 different types of amino acids that can be combined to make a protein. The sequence of amino acids determines each protein’s unique 3-dimensional structure and its specific function.” https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/howgeneswork/protein
This is why it is sooooo important to take care of your blood! Your blood is the flowing river that carries all of the packages. The boats are the package carrying the message inside and the river is the blood. Too thick, too thin, sluggish, clogged, too much pressure, too little pressure...all sorts of things can block the flow of messengers!
Also the shape of the package makes a HUGE difference. Synthetic hormones are a different SIZE! So now we have shape and size.
Imagine the door way where the machine flips the packages off into the right chute and the package is the wrong size...what is going to happen? First of all it clogs up the chute.
Next, it blocks the flow behind it. That’s a HUGE problem. BIG. Terrible. Awful. This is why it is so important to understand all of the parts of our body and how they work. We don’t want a clogged blocked message.
This might be the message that says to run, or be calm, or to ovulate, or metabolize food, or sleep, or make breastmilk. Every single message is important and needs to get exactly where God wants it to go.
Where were we?
Miso Soup
Miso soup can have it’s own section. Here is why.
Miso soup is amazing and anyone can have it eat it, drink it, and make it.
Children love the noodles.
It can be full of fattttty fattt huge thick udon noodles made with wheat and gluten.
It can have rice noodles that are thin little sticks that seem to just become invisible as they soak up the bone broth.
It can have veggies, or not, a well cooked piece of meat, or not, an egg, or not, some spicey peppers, or not, some sour or not. It can have lots of miso paste and be quite flavorful, or toned down with just a smidge in the bone broth and be nice and smooth and very delicate. You can use this miso as a healing broth made with bone broth base.
It can have healing mushrooms in it. Mushrooms are a fantastic way to get in some super nutrient dense goodies. The options for miso are endless when you come to what kinds of miso to choose from.
There is white miso, yellow miso, red miso,
White is sweet and mellow, fermented for a short time in less salt. Red can be a darker red to brown color. It can be saltier, and show “a more assertive, pungent flavor.”
https://www.bonappetit.com/entertaining-style/article/know-your-miso
My favorite way to make a really easy quick miso is like this:
Annie Roo's MISO Soup RECIPE
Boil water/BONE BROTH in a hot pot, or on the stove.
(Never boil water in the microwave. I once was in the ER working and a very young teen girl came in who had burned her entire face by boiling a cup of water for tea in the microwave. She inhaled the steam when she opened the microwave door and the vapors burned inside of her nose, her throat, her esophagus, and her entire eyes and face were burned. It was horrible. She couldn’t move or speak. Anyways, please - just boil on the stove or get one of those 1 minute hot pot kettles.)
Pour some hot water (BONE BROTH for us!) in the bowl.
Add a tablespoon of your choice of miso paste.
Stir and dissolve the miso.
*Never boil miso, it will kill the fermentation and living goodies!
Add some chopped green onions
Add some squeezy ginger and squeezy lemongrass
Add a few grated carrots
Toss in some mushrooms
Add a few seaweed pieces
Maybe add a dash of fish sauce (totally optional)
Put a spoonful or 2 of rice in and mix.
Add a piece of well cooked meat (must be able to fall apart)
Add a cooked egg
Plop in a few pieces of cooked sweet potato
(an alternative is to sauteé the mushrooms in the ginger and lemongrass with the carrots and meat in a pan and get them really soft)
Let sit and then enjoy!!
Stop.
Stop doing those things that are impeding your recovery and reset. Stop doing the things that are blocking your healing.
Like what?
Eliminate any types of movements that are putting stress on your pelvic core muscles.
Lifting for example...
If you are postpartum - the rule of thumb says to only pick up things that weigh as much as your baby does.
It's like trying to heal a broken arm while you keep using it.
You need to understand that some cultures treat the postpartum woman with care, kindness, reverence, priority, and intrinsically know that she is new now. She is mother. She will never again be the same person she was before. Physiologically. Chemically. Biologically. Medically. She is new. Hormonally she is new.
Read that again...
hormonally she is new
physiologically she is new
chemically she is new
biologically she is new
medically she is new
To have created a human being from one cell brought together with another cell and grown the baby from a tiny speck into a living breathing, crying, peeing, pooping, dreaming, thinking, speaking, loving, breastfeeding, walking, human being tiny replica hybrid of herself and her partner takes time, energy, and attention.
And you did it!
Let’s sit in this for a moment for those mothers who have bare wombs. This class is not just for you who have alive babies. This is a class for healing the womb space for mothers who have birthed. Perhaps that baby was small. I have birthed a baby so small our baby fit in my hand. My womb needed tending as well.
Birth is birth.
There is no depth to the grief or sorrow.
One person asked, “How long will you be sad and grieve for your lost loved one?”
The reply, “For as long as they are gone.”
The nourishing foods will also create a space in your body where ease will replace dis-ease thus creating healthy poops and reducing any type of straining or constipation.
Stop all exercises, especially kegels and planks. No CrossFit, please. Not now. Maybe later. Only do pelvic womb safe poses, exercises, and lifting. If you are 100% sure you are doing all of the breathing, bending, sitting, lifting, driving, cooking, standing, sitting proper pelvic womb safe poses and postures while living...then have at it! Do your thing, mama!
Once you eliminate the things that are causing the dysfunction, you can start working on strengthening and healing the function.
Incorporating foods like collagen and bone broth are providing your body with the exact building blocks that it needs to correct the issues that are causing imbalance. Fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as stews and broths that have fully cooked meats pull out all of the vitamins and minerals, while making it much easier to digest and poop out.
This rich delicious broth and sauce now has all of the important cellular building blocks you want.
It can be the base for making rice, vegetable soups, beef stews, chicken soups, or just drinking as a healing broth.
You can eat congees, rice, miso, hearty stews cooked all day, broths, and vegetables that have been cooked fully.
A trick that I use is to puree my vegetables and make a smooth soup that is easy to digest, easy to poop out, and easy to use by my body which gives the postpartum mama more time to focus on making those pelvic womb muscles, joints, and ligaments strong and healed.
90 DAYS TO A NEW YOU
EAT COLLAGEN
MAKE BONE BROTH
MAKE MISO SOUP
Challenge:
For 90 days I want you to include one or all of the collagen, bone broth, and miso soup recipes into your diet.
Make up your own, look online, make them with tons of veggies you grow or buy, add spice, or not, but ADD THEM TO YOUR DAILY FOOD PLAN!
BREATHING
Let's work on breathing.
A body has muscles over the belly.
“Diastasis recti, an unnatural separation of the abdominal muscles, is not just a “weak core.” It’s a symptom of a whole-body problem.”
Bowman, Katy, and Christiane Northrup. Diastasis Recti: the Whole-Body Solution to Abdominal Weakness and Separation. Propriometrics Press, 2016.
P.S. Katy Bowman has a whole section with a How-To DIY make your own chicken bone broth on page 208 of the above book on diastasis recti as well as four references to scientific journal articles about...you guessed it.
RESEARCH ON THE BENEFITS OF...BONE BROTH!
New therapeutic strategy for amino acid medicine: glycine improves the quality of sleep in The Journal of Pharmacological Sciences.
The FASEB Journal talks about Dietary glycine supplementation mimics lifespan extension by dietary methionine restriction in Fisher 344 rats.
24-week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity- related joint pain in Curr Med Res Opin.
Anat Rec has an article on Glycine Improves Biochemical and Biomechanical Properties Following Inflammation of the Achilles Tendon.
She is a mama of two and knows her stuff. I don’t need to write a book about it because she already has!
All we have to do is read the book and do what comes next!
Check out those muscles on the left and on the right. Notice anything? Not pregnant, or not big belly pregnant, and very pregnant belly.
HOW TO FIGURE OUT IF I HAVE DIASTASIS RECTI SEPARATION
A really neat way to check and see what you have postpartum is to lay on the floor knees bent, bring your head up just slightly, and using your pointer and middle finger (and maybe more) check above your belly button and also below it and see how many finger widths you have across as a separation.
Now, this may be different above and below. Some women have a separation only above the belly button. While others only have a separation only below. Perhaps you have a separation on both sides.
I just checked myself before writing this sentence and I have a two finger width above my belly button and I am exactly 1 year postpartum. I have maybe a one or none separation below. When we had our third baby I was a four finger separation. I can show you how to use your hands to make some hugging sweeping motions that will allow those muscles to gently return to their balanced spots. After learning what they were I was able to get my 4 finger separation to a 2 in about 5 minutes.
Exercises:
Practice doing the following gentle soft easy movements while breathing
1 - imagine you are picking up a jelly bean with your labia lips.
2 - imagine you are picking up a bean with your cervix.
3 - imagine you are holding in a fart.
4 -imagine you are raising a mini elevator inside of your yoni
5 - imagine you are pulling your belly button towards your spine
Do NOT squeeze your bum cheeks together!
That is not it. It feels funny.
I know.
You can do this.
Practice!
Relax the bum cheeks.
Try again.
Do it sitting.
Do it laying down.
Do it standing up.
Do it right before you cough.
NOW...Do it right before you sneeze.
No more crossing your legs when you sneeze.
Do what now?
Pull your belly button in, tighten those womb muscles, and sneeze!
Or cough.
Pelvic core strengthening exercises cost nothing, may relieve pain, and can be effective for some women as a non-surgical course of healing.
Challenge:
STOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP, please.
Stop doing kegels.
Why Kegels are HORRRRRIBLE, and why you should never ever do them.
Why this picture below is going to save your yoni and how!
You can try this with your own finger, or have a partner use their finger.
If you decide you want to feel your own body, this is what it looks like inside, sorta.
Minus your organs,
but let’s look at the muscles and see how incredible they are!
Let's spend some time looking up these words.
I think if you just read my words, it will be boring, so take a second or 120 and look them up and then look at the picture above and see if you can match them up.
urethra
yoni
(vagina is not a nice word so we say yoni)
rectum
Why are kegels horrible awful terrible and why do they make it worse?
Okay. Let me tell it to you straight. I could show you a video of a woman doing a kegel, but I'm not sure you want to watch that so you can watch yourself do one and it will be even better!
Kegels done wrong weaken the pelvic core and maybe make you leak pee.
If a woman has been doing them her whole life and nobody checked to see if she's doing them CORRECTLY then she LITERALLY has been ruining her own pelvic core muscles for no good reason!! (That was me. I did them wrong my entire life.)
Answers in case you didn’t look them up. Go back and match them up.
(The rectangle opening represents the yoni/vagina. The circular larger opening represents the colon/rectum anus opening. And the tiny bitty circle in front is the urethra.)
Also, don't EVER start to pee and then stop and start to "practice" strengthening your pelvic womb space, bladder, muscles, and ligaments. THAT REALLY fxxxxxs up your womb space and your bladder. Uggggggggggggh, why did I just accidentally find this out in 2019?
Kegels - when done wrong can potentially ruin and weaken your pelvic core muscles and you can leak poop. YIKES!
So...we have sneeze pee, jump pee, laugh pee, cough pee - made worse - by you - because nobody took the time to tell you that you're doing it wrong.
Why am I assuming everyone does them wrong?
Because I have never ever met a single woman in all my almost 40 years of life who has ever done them properly.
Don't wait your whole life, and find out too late, this all could have been prevented. Gramas know a lot, and are amazing because they have lived and learned.
I'd like to save you some trouble and teach you really fun and funny ways to strengthen your pelvic womb space, heal this womb space, and educate you and all the women and children in your life.
I only ask that you teach all the females around you what the womb space does for us, our babies, our bodies, and how to do these amazing easy, FREEEE breathing techniques, and poses so we can CHANGE the world.
Mirror Challenge:
HOW TO CHECK IF YOU ARE DOING IT RIGHT!
Step 1: Go get a mirror, or have your partner hold one, then lay on your back and do what you think is a kegel and watch what happens to your muscles.
Remember that finger inside the yoni picture from up above?
Yeah, go look again.
Okay, now with your finger or your partner’s finger inside of you gently...
do what you think is a kegel.
Step 2: Next, cough while watching in the hand held or giant mirror.
Yes, while still having a finger inside of your yoni.
What happens?
If at any point the muscles go outwards and down when you cough or kegel, you're "doing it wrong."
If your muscles squeeze your own finger and push it out or down - yer doing it wrong. (It's kinda hard to put your finger inside of your yoni and also at the same time reach and cough and kegel, so some women find it useful when a partner helps or you can use another way to tell what is happening. Some women find that it helps to use a vibrator and gently have it inside of the yoni so they can lay flat on their back and not do a crunch but still see if they are going OUT and DOWN or not... (because crunches are so not good for your pelvic core if you are in a weakened state.) This is simply you looking at the mirror or trying to use proprioception to see what’s going on with your yoni.
What?
What is proprioception?
Lemme splain. NO. There is no time. Lemme summup.
Proprioception is “kinesthesia” aka “the body’s ability to sense its location, movements, and actions. It’s the reason we’re able to move freely without consciously thinking about our environment. is basically a continuous loop of feedback between sensory receptors throughout your body and your nervous system.”
https://www.healthline.com/health/body/proprioception#anatomy
So what is it exactly?
Proprioception is your ability to know the inside of your body and where things are and how to move them and understand how to send messages to specific muscles inside of your body using what some people call a “sixth sense.”
I like “Momsense.”
If anyone has ever told you that squeezing out and down is a good practice for your yoni, or squeezing your partner's penis while having intercourse such that it squeezes the penis and pushes out and down, that, my friend, is weakening the pelvic core muscles.
You want to keep things up and in.
UP and IN
UP UP UP
and
IN IN IN.
The baby pushes down and out. Coughs push down and out. Improper kegels push down and out. So, for the time being, I shall just say, "Don't do kegels."
Name them after me.
Do annieroo's instead.
Do jellybeans instead.
Do elevators instead.
Do beans instead.
Do unfarts instead.
If you are the magical unicorn person who coughs and kegels and your muscles do NOT push out and down, then you, my friend, are doing it RIGHT!!
Congratulations! You win!
(Also, immediately email me at annierooguru@gmail.com, because, I have yet to meet a woman who does a kegel the pelvic womb space safe way. I shall now make you famous. I may even send you a prize. I’ll probably send you a prize!)
Annieroos Challenge:
The thing you WANT to do is this...
For 90 days...
practice doing these at least 15 minutes at some point throughout your day.
Or 10 times a day if you like repetitions and not minutes.
Step 1: Lay back on the bed or floor and have a partner put their finger very gently, or your finger, or a vibrator inside of your yoni
Step 2: You want to use those muscles and attempt to pick up that imaginary jelly bean with your labia.
Step 3: Use those muscles to gently and carefully lift the imaginary elevator bringing it up to your ribcage
Step 4: While doing this also imagine bringing that belly button in towards the spine
Keeping the bum cheeks relaxed at the same time.
Tricky.
You can do it.
I believe in you!
The Cough Test
Another cool way to see what is happening is to lift your shirt up, go stand in front of the mirror, and cough and watch your stomach.
(This is super tricky when pregnant...just when you have a big belly baby.)
What happens?
Does your belly go OUT?
Does your belly go IN?
If you said out...sorry, Charlie, no go. That's weakened core muscles, which are all connected to your pelvic core muscles.
If you said in...hooray!! You win! Those are activating the core muscles properly!!
How do I practice activating my core?
Activation Challenge:
For 90 days...
Practice activating your core EVERY. SINGLE. day.
Now do a fake sneeze & fake cough while activating your core until you train your brain.
First, you pull that belly button into the spine and back, THEN cough.
Same goes for your sneezing. Just before you sneeze, grab that jelly bean with your labia - imaginary, of course, and draw that belly button back, lift that bean up with your cervix, and SNEEZE!
Once you start doing this a few times, you will train your brain. It's all about training your brain to draw back, up, in, and cough.
Back up in, and sneeze.
Back up in, and laugh.
This will take time.
Happy (Shoes) Challenge:
How to get out of bed safely, and other supportive ways to tend the postpartum happy
womb space
-Roll out of bed
-Do NOT sit up and do a "crunch type rising up" out of bed.
How to lift safely for a happy womb
-Pull that belly button in, draw that elevator up, jelly bean pick up, bean lift, before lifting anything (only things weighing what your baby does)
-Practice bending with your legs and knees bent, squatting instead of bending over at the hips.
How to wear womb happy shoes
- Wear flat shoes.
When I had a prolapsed uterus and bladder I immediately purchased a pair of flat flat flat flat shoes and I still wear them. I wore them allllllll summer long and all autumn as well.
-Do NOT wear high heels.
Wearing high heels puts extreme imbalance shifting on the womb space.
The higher the heels the more the body shifts off balance and the worse the pelvic womb space gets and is weakened.
Shoot for some flat shoes; the flatter the better.
By the way...if you want to know what shoes I love (AND WEAR!!!!) click below.
How to drive with a happy womb
-When you are driving in the car, put a pillow or bolster, or use the electronic seat support if you have it and push that lower back lumbar support allllll the way forward to put that against your lumbar spine. Maybe click on that seat heat for extra circulation vulva warmth! Even in the summer!
Also, seat heat is great for libido love!
How to have a happy womb and back and shoulders.
-Sit up and don't crunch over. Choose firm over soft seats.
STRING TEST
When you stand, take a string and hold it at your hips and have someone look at you from the side.
(Or try with a mirror.)
You WANT the string to fall down to your ankle bone.
If it falls behind or in front then practice shifting your body so you are more balanced in your stance.
Now, this might feel weird or funny or you may even fall over or take a step!
This might be years of improper neutral balancing position you’re going to have to undo!
Tip your pelvis under and feel what that feels like.
Squeeze your bum cheeks really hard together and tip that pelvis under with your pubic bone in line with your belly button.
This is imbalance.
Not tip your pelvis back and out, like you are trying to hold a shelf up on your bum cheeks.
This is imbalance.
Now, just relax and find a neutral space between those two.
There's no perfect way to describe it, but the string test is the closest you will get.
This is balance.
Don't rest on your heels, and don't rest on your toes.
Find the neutral space in between shifting your balance between the two.
Rock forwards and back again, letting your body s balance seeing what it is like to lean forward barely taking a step before you fall forward.
Push all of your weight onto your toes.
Now tip and lean all the way back until you are resting on your heels.
The perfect balance will change each day based on many things, however, the neutral stance will align your ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, and head.
STANDING CHALLENGE:
For 90 days...
-DO find your neutral stance balance and be conscious of how you stand...while doing dishes, cooking, holding a baby, reading, waiting, talking, shopping, being on your phone or computer, and all other times.
-Do use a backpack which can be placed over the shoulders evenly.
-Don't carry a heavy purse or bag. (or if you must- swap shoulders.)
-Do empty out all unnecessary items from your bag/purse/diaper bag for 90 days!
-Do leave things at home, or in the car if you can and make trips to the car instead of carrying it all around - JUST for 90 days.
If you do carry a bag, make sure you do not carry too much weight, which will throw off your shoulders, making your hips compensate, which then offsets your ...you named it...pelvic womb space.
See? It's alllll related!!
Babywearing
Choose a baby carrier that allows you to wear your baby in the front or on the back with even distribution of weight. Check out my babywearing free resources here.
Babywearing, Breastfeeding, Cosleeping
HERBS
Herbs for prolapse healing include many but especially astringent and toning herbs. The top favorites on my list are:
Prolapsed organs
calendula - inhibits infection, increases peripheral circulation, alterative, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, astringent, demulcent, calmative, immune stimulant
red raspberry leaf - hormone tonic, astringent, uterine toning, nutritive, phytoestrogen
red rose petals - astringent, menstrual regulation, aphrodisiac, anodyne
pink rose petals - astringent, menstrual regulation, aphrodisiac, anodyne
astragalus - adaptogen, adrenal tonic, chi tonic, tonic, vasodilator, one of the most widely prescribed herbs in Chinese medicine, not used to treat dis-ease, but to enhance and balance bodily functions
bupleurum - alterative, chi regulator, smooth muscle relaxant, tonic, sudorific
ginseng - dates back 6,000 years in Chinese medicine, restorative and energizing properties, grows near Great Lakes and was used as a love potion, and tonic, helps body utilize oxygen, helps adrenal glands, balance hormones in both men and women, chi tonic, adaptogen, analgesic, demulcent, endocrine tonic
shepherd's purse - constricts blood vessels, long been used by midwives to aid uterine contraction during birthing and prevent postpartum hemorrhaging, used in WWI as tincture to stop bleeding, vulnerary, astringent, alterative, oxytocic!!
witch hazel - Native Americans showed European settlers witch hazel, tonic, sedative, astringent, anti-inflammatory
nettle - speeds healing, inhibits infection, circulatory stimulant
Prolapsed rectum
codonopsis - aphrodisiac, blood tonic, immune tonic, nutritive, restorative, stimulant, yin tonic, tonifying, similar to ginseng, costs much less, milder than ginseng, its effects for much shorter time
horsetail - Latin horse bristle "equis seta" Equisetum, alterative, anodyne, astringent, kidney tonic, lithotriptic
red raspberry leaf - hormone tonic, astringent, uterine toning, nutritive, phytoestrogen
white oak bark - heals damaged tissues, oak bark tea can be used to treat anal prolapse, uterine prolapse, can be used as sitz bath
nettle - speeds healing, inhibits infection, circulatory stimulant
calendula - inhibits infection, increases peripheral circulation, alterative, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, astringent, demulcent, calmative, immune stimulant
Prolapsed Uterus
burdock - adaptogen, alterative, rejuvenative, nutritive, mild laxative, galactagogue
chaparral - Native Americans called it cure-all, alterative, tonic, laxative, lymphatic, depurative
codonopsis - aphrodisiac, blood tonic, immune tonic, nutritive, restorative, stimulant, yin tonic, tonifying, similar to ginseng, costs much less, milder than ginseng, its effects for much shorter time
grindelia - alterative, aromatic, demulcent, sedative, helps body expel mucus
larch - alterative, anti-inflammatory, astringent, immune stimulant, laxative, tonic, vulnerary
orange peel - moves chi, dries dampness, digestive aid, strengthens spleen, strengthens capillaries, and tissues of the body, boosts metabolism, aids constipation, liver congestion, used to treat uterine prolapse, astringent, digestive, aromatic, sedative, appetite stimulant, cholagogue, thermogenic
red raspberry leaf - hormone tonic, astringent, uterine toning, nutritive, phytoestrogen
white oak bark - heals damaged tissues, oak bark tea can be used to treat anal prolapse, uterine prolapse, can be used as sitz bath
nettle - Latin Urtica "I burn," speeds healing, inhibits infection, circulatory stimulant, adrenal tonic, alterative, anti-inflammatory, astringent, blood tonic, endocrine tonic (seed), galactagogue,
calendula - inhibits infection, increases peripheral circulation, alterative, vulnerary, anti-inflammatory, astringent, demulcent, calmative, immune stimulant
Vocabulary List
alterative - to restore to normal health
analgesic - pain relief for peripheral and central nervous systems
anodyne - pain relief
astringent - Latin adstringere, to bind fast, shrinks or constricts body tissues
cholagogue - promotes discharge of bile from system, purging
demulcent - to soothe or soften, especially to relieve pain in irritated or mucus membranes
depurative - herbs that are considered to have purifying and detoxifying effects
galactagogue - promotes lactation in humans, or animals; breastmilk-maker
lithotriptic - an agent that dissolves stones, calculus
sudorific - causing, promoting, or increasing sweat
thermogenic - producing heat
vulnerary - used in the healing or treating of wounds, a remedy used in healing or treating wounds, tissue healing refers to a living being's tissue replacement of destroyed tissue by living tissue. dictionary.com, Wikipedia.)
Pelvic womb safe yoni steaming:
body poses for prolapsed organs that HELP healing, encourage lift, and tighten without surgery
This is called down dog in yoga.
It’s just a triangle you make with your body.
I’m going to show you how sitting over a chair for a yoni steam is actually the opposite of what you want to do when you have a prolapsed organ you want to support and heal in the up up up and in in in position.
When you are sitting in a chair all of the gravity and force and weight of your internal organs are pushing down on your insides.
Your pelvic bowl or womb space is like a basket.
Imagine that it holds everything in and is the last level before your body touches the chair.
To sit in a chair is having all of your heavy body pushing DOWN and OUT - and remember that’s NOT what we want for your gentle nice amazing beautiful spectacular womb space that held a baby and birthed a baby or many babies and has taken such good care of you.
HOW TO DO "the annieroo" for prolapsed organ yoni steaming:
It’s funny because at a breastfeeding Mama meeting one time I did this exact pose to show how to do a dangle for a clogged breast duct and here I am years later explaining how to do it for a yoni steam!
I think I’m going to name it after myself, isn’t that how biologists name insects and things? I would like to think I can name a prolapsed organ yoni steam pose. Well, I can try anyways!
CHALLENGE:
For 7 days straight each cycle
(never w/ essential oils)
(never w/ an IUD form of birth control
(never while actively bleeding)
“Do the Annieroo”
Let’s do this.
Let’s modify the down dog yoga position so that when you do your yoni steaming you are going to lean over and get your bum waaaay up in the air to get the best position - get your arms on the floor and your bum up high!
Put your head on the floor! Get those knees down on the floor and put a small saucepan of your yoni steaming herbs right between your legs.
YONI STEAMING TIPS
In order to not burn the sides of your legs you have a few options:
Wrap small washcloths or pillow cases around the edge of the pan.
Widen your stance so your legs don’t touch the pan.
Essential Oils for the Pelvic Womb Space
Essential oils support the postpartum imbalanced pelvic core emotionally, and physically.
Frankincense and myrrh encourage cell regeneration. "Frankincense is also known as "olibanum." The name frankincense is derived from the Medieval French word for "real incense." Frankincense is considered the "holy anointing oil" in the Middle East and has been used in religious ceremonies for thousands of years. It was well known during the time of Christ for its anointing and healing powers and was one of the gifts given to Christ at His birth. Used to treat every conceivable ill known to man. Frankincense was valued more than gold during ancient times, and only those with great wealth and abundance possessed it. It is mentioned in one of the oldest known medical records, Ebers Papyrus dating from 16th century BC, an ancient Egyptian list of 877 prescriptions and recipes." (DiscoverLSP.com, version 1.4.4 2015-2019 Life Science Publishing)
Baby number 5, kitchen, 2019
What essential oils support bones, ligaments, joints, muscles, skin regeneration, and support emotional balance?
There are many. Let’s start with a short list from the Raindrop Technique Emotional and Physical Release bodywork kit and class.
Raindrop essential oils in particular support bones, ligaments, joints, and muscles.
White Angelica
Oregano
Thyme
Basil
Marjoram
Wintergreen
Cypress
Aroma Siez
Skin healing and rejuvenation oils include:
Rejuvenate and Heal:
Rose
Sandalwood
Frankincense
Myrrh
Vetiver
Regenerate:
Geranium
Helichrysum
Spikenard
Melrose
Sandalwood
Restore skin elasticity:
Sandalwood with Lavender
Ylang Ylang with Lavender
Patchouli with Lavender
How can you best support emotional balance?
These emotional oils may be singles or blends of herbs that bring calm, peace, quiet, courage:
Transformation™ includes Idaho Blue Spruce, Palo Santo, and Ocotea. These powerful essential oils empower you to replace negative beliefs with uplifting thoughts when diffused.
Harmony™, is a blend of pure essential oils that contains scents to provide an uplifting aromatic experience.
Forgiveness™, essential oil blend is formulated with Melissa, Geranium, Frankincense, Royal Hawaiian Sandalwood, and other essential oils to help create a calm, uplifting environment when forgiving yourself and others.
Inner Child™, The sweet fragrance of Inner Child™ can be used aromatically to encourage you to connect with your authentic self.
Present Time™, When diffused, Present Time™ helps you focus on the here and now, so you can get beyond the past and move forward.
Release™ is a blend with a relaxing aroma that facilitates the ability to let go of anger and frustration. It also promotes harmony and balance when diffused.
Valor®, Use it to greet each morning with a positive attitude or to unwind at the end of the day. Its powerful yet calming scent is versatile enough that you can integrate it into your morning and bedtime routines and anywhere in between. It promotes balanced energies, instills courage, bravery, self esteem, and confidence. The recipe was from long hours researching how the Roman soldiers would prepare for battle. Its ingredients include Rosewood, spruce, blue tansy, and frankincense,
Woman oils:
Myrrh
Myrtle
Cypress
Sandalwood/Aloes
In addition to these being amazing oils for women, all of these are Ancient Healing Oils of the Bible.
Scriptures with MYRRH:
Myrrh - Myrrh comes from the Burceraceae Family, the very same family Frankincense comes from.
Commiphora myrrha
Pregnant mothers anointed themselves for protection, elevates feelings of well being, diffused and inhaled during labor to reduce anxiety and facilitate calmness and massed on perineum to facilitate stretching.
Used after childbirth to prevent or remove abdominal stretch marks.
Customarily used on umbilical cords of newborn to protect navel from infection, which symbolically is meant to cut off generational curses inherited from ancestors.
It may have been for all of thee uses that Myrrh was brought to Mary and baby Jesus.
Balance to thyroid and endocrine system, emotionally releasing.
Genesis 37:25, 43:11
Exodus 30:23
Esther 2:12
Psalms 45:8
Proverbs 7:17
Song of Solomon 1:13, 3:6, 4:6, 14, 5:1, 5, 13
Matthew 2:11, 26:7, 9, 12
Mark 14:3, 4
Mark 15:23
Luke 7:37, 38, 46, 23:56
John 11:2, 12:3, 5, 19:39
Scriptures with MYRTLE:
Myrtle - Myrtle comes from the Myrtaceae Family. Much milder than eucalyptus.
Myrtus communis
Thyroid and general hormone balancer.
Nehemiah 8:15
Esther 2:7
Isaiah 41:19, 55:13
Zachariah 1:7-11
Scriptures with CYPRESS:
Cypress - Cypress comes from the Cupressaceae Family.
Cupressus sempervirens
A lymphatic supportive oil, supportive of women during menstruation and menopause, eases feelings of loss.
Genesis 6:14
Isaiah 44:14, 41:19
1 Kings 9:11
Song of Solomon 1:17
Scriptures with SANDALWOOD/ALOES:
Sandalwood/Aloes - Sandalwood comes from the Sandalaceae Family.
Santalum album
Supportive of female reproductive and endocrine systems, has been applied for urinary tract infections.
This oil is so luxurious many people ONLY apply it topically! It is an ancient aphrodisiac that also assists in meditaton, and as the 4th highest concentration of sesquiterpenes (95%) it enhancces deep sleep by stimulating the production of melatonin.
Numbers 24:6
Psalms 45:8
Proverbs 7:17
Song of Solomon 4:14
John 19: 38-39
excerpts from the book -HEALING OILS OF THE BIBLE BY DAVID STEWART. PH.D.
