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Dr. Christiane Northrup
Creating... or Destroying 
If you're living
with an unhappy relationship, a dead-end job, a stressful lifestyle
(or all three) it could be taking a toll on your health. That's
the message of Dr. Christiane Northrup, author of the best-selling
Women's
Bodies, Women's Wisdom. Dr. Northrup believes strongly in
the mind-body connection, and told our audience, "Mind and body
are a seamless web, and every thought we have changes our biochemistry...
The vast majority of your thoughts and emotions are either creating
healthy tissue or destroying healthy tissue."
Addressing the Full Issue Though she's a pioneer in holistic medicine, Dr. Northrup was trained in traditional medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and Tufts New England Medical Center. She is also the co-founder of Women to Women, an innovative center in Maine specializing in women's health care. She became interested in alternative healing methods when she realized "If I was just continually putting a prescription across the desk, I wasn't addressing the full issue." Taking Responsibility Though we are able to create our own good health, Dr. Northrup says we're not to blame for our bad health. Health problems can be created by patterns established in childhood. "As an adult, you are responsible for moving forward in your life, but you're never to blame for what you didn't know. Once you know, however, you are responsible to your body." A Period of Renewal During the show Dr. Northrup addressed several health issues specific to women. Many women, she said, have cramps or PMS because they consider their periods as a "curse." She views the menstrual cycle as a system for physical, mental, emotional and spiritual processing of issues important to you. For instance, the pre-menstrual phase of the cycle is when women are most likely to cry. "That's when you're in touch with those things that have the deepest meaning for you." Good News About Labor Pregnant women will be glad to know that studies have shown labor time and the risk of a Caesarian section can be decreased by as much as 50% when a woman is well-supported emotionally during labor. An episiotomy is usually not necessary if labor isn't rushed, but allowed to progress at its own pace. And giving birth can release endorphins in a woman's body that can actually produce a "high" feeling. Springtime in Autumn Dr. Northrup redefined menopause in a way that may come as a great relief to many women. "It's like adolescence, but at the opposite end." Unfinished business and unrealized dreams from adolescence often re-emerge at this time. "It can become the springtime of the second half of your life," she said, bringing new life and energy to a woman's body, mind and spirit. Self-Preservation Several times during the show Oprah reminded us that Dr. Northrup's views weren't "one-shot" exercises, but part of an entire way of living that includes caring for yourself, paying attention to the people, places and things that bring you joy, and eliminating negativity from your life. If you're one of those people who feel you just don't have the time for it, remember this advice from Oprah: "Caring for yourself is not self-indulgence. It's self-preservation." |
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