Health Post # 1 - For Women

As I shared in another recent post on this blog, I don't have much left to share on this health blog other than some posts for women. This is one of them. 

Men are welcome to read these posts. However, because the next few posts will be for women, I will be explicit so as to make my point clear. Because of that, I will share this at the beginning of each of these posts for women:

This post was written for women and with women readers in mind. Though anyone is welcome to read this post, please keep in mind that this post was written explicitly about things in regards to women's health.  

Chamomile Flowers

As a brief recap here, the things I've shared on this blog, so far, is knowledge that I grew up with and learned from my mom, especially nutrition. I also learned a few other basic things from my mom such as: getting enough sleep, drinking enough water, and getting some fresh air, sunshine, and exercise outside when possible. Though very simple, those things have a profound affect on our health. Getting good sleep is so important; so is drinking enough water. Your food choices also have an enormous affect on your health. 

In more recent years, I've learned from health minded friends that getting toxins and chemicals out of your home and life is also important for good health. Laundry detergent, body care products, and cleaning products are very important to consider.

Those are the things I've written about on this blog so far.       

Exactly four years ago today, I found myself in the emergency room at our local hospital. Saturday, April 20th, 2019 is a date I won't forget anytime soon.

I was in that same hospital 4 1/2 years earlier (October of 2014), and I was told that I was one of the healthiest women they had ever seen. My blood work was excellent. Everything else checked out fine too, except they couldn't figure out what was causing my severe abdominal pain.

They sent me home with good wishes and a few papers. A bill for many hundreds of dollars arrived in my mail a short time later for those few hours in the emergency room which told me nothing more than I was a very healthy woman. I was thankful for the good report at least. I was also thankful that was only the second time in my entire life that I had been seen in a hospital. 

There I was again, years later, with extremely bad, unexplainable pain. That time, they did a CT scan on me. The diagnosis? I had a massive tumor (ovarian cyst) coming from my left ovary that was, literally, filling my entire abdomen! After 6 years of that growing inside me, it was finally discovered! (something they didn't catch 4 1/2 years earlier) To read my entire story, click here. For three long days, I did not know if that cyst was cancerous or not.  

That cyst was benign and completely fluid filled, and it was removed, surgically, 7 months later in November of 2019. Sadly, I lost my left ovary and tube with that cyst.  

During those 7 months, I learned a lot about women's health. Almost everything I've shared on this blog, so far, are things that I knew before discovering I had a large ovarian cyst.

I enjoy learning, and after discovering that I had an ovarian cyst, I wanted to know more. What causes them? Can they go away on their own? Thus, my journey began in learning more about things pertaining to women's health - and later, that led me to begin this health blog. 

Interestingly, there were a few things I discovered in regards to women before I was diagnosed with that ovarian cyst. I thought I would begin by sharing one of those things in this post. 

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Nearly all women have a monthly cycle as designed by God for child bearing. 

Cramping is common for most women during their monthly cycle, especially women who have had no children. From what I hear, after women give birth, their monthly cramps often become very mild or go away completely. This may not be true for all women, but for many women, I'm told that it is. 

Monthly cramps can be very uncomfortable and even painful for many women. 

I don't know about all young ladies, but in my early teen years, I did not deal with much cramping at all during my monthly cycle. That changed as I got into my upper teen years. My monthly cramps got so bad, I decided that I needed to take something. I discovered how wonderful ibuprofen is. Ibuprofen is the only over-the-counter medication I keep on hand, specifically for bad monthly cramps or bad headaches.   

And then I discovered, a few years ago, that chamomile tea works very well for monthly cramps! Who knew? I sure didn't. I was so happy to discover this! 

Chamomile tea is extremely common; you can find it in almost any grocery store in the United States. For years, I've enjoyed chamomile tea with honey in the evening before bed sometimes because it is so calming and delicious. Chamomile tea can help people to relax, but I had no idea that it also helped with monthly cramping in women. 

Chamomile is in the daisy family, and its flowers are soft, gentle, and beautiful. Like the flowers, chamomile tea is a soothing, gentle tea. I have a friend who calls it a "hug in a cup" - a good description for chamomile.  

Now, I always keep chamomile tea on hand because it works so well. If I have a bad day with monthly cramping, I drink chamomile tea. It might not take my pain away completely, but it seems to help my pain by at least half. There are some days when I do not take ibuprofen at all because chamomile tea works so well! 

Chamomile tea can also help with digestive issues. I will drink it sometimes if I have an upset stomach or GI issues.  

Unless you are allergic to plants in the daisy family, chamomile is completely safe. There are no side effects at all. It is just a simple, sweet, gentle, beautiful plant given to us from God that helps with many things - including monthly cramps for women. 

If you're a menstruating woman, next time you experience bad cramping during your monthly cycle, try some chamomile tea. 

Chamomile is a gift from God, and especially, for women. 

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, and I have no medical training. The things I share on this blog are simple, practical things that I've learned help with good health.