Women’s Diseases      

The special duty, which God has entrusted to women, is to bring forth and rear up children. Unless the women are healthy and strong they cannot give birth to healthy and robust children. Women have a natural characteristic of modesty, which prevents them from disclosing their illnesses to others until they are unbearable. It is, therefore, essential that all girls should have the knowledge of diseases peculiar to their sex. Such knowledge should be imparted to the girls in the schools and colleges. This will help them in nipping the disease in the bud, and keep up good health.

The chief diseases of women are of three kinds:

1. Pertaining to menstruation.
2. Diseases peculiar to the period of pregnancy.
3. Disorders after delivery.

Of these the diseases of menstruation are most important. If these are kept under control, there will be less chance for other kinds of diseases. The beginning of the menses is the most important period of growth. If the girls lead natural life and observe the rules of health and hygiene, there will be very few chances of ill health.

Hints for Women’s Health

1. Women should avoid tight lacing and tight clothing, as these hinder the free flow of bloodstream and bring undue pressure on the most important organs of the body.
2. They should avoid, when unwell, all kinds of stimulants, e.g., tea, coffee, cocoa, ice-cold drinks, etc.
3. Physical exercise during the period of menstruation should also be avoided.
4. Visit to Cinemas also should be avoided during the periods.
5. They should avoid cosmetics, scented oils and powders and depend on nature for the natural luster and beauty.
6. They should spend much of their time in well-ventilated places and in open air.
7. They must have some physical exercise daily. Practice of Asanas is highly desirables, but should be avoided during pregnancy.
8. If possible, they should take more green vegetables, milk and fruits.
9. They should go to bed early and rise early.
10. They should not worry much about the school examinations, or domestic problems with undue concern.
11. They should observe fast on Ekadasi days or miss a meal once a week.
12. They should take enema when constipated, or castor oil or a milk vegetable laxative.
13. Enough rest in menstrual period is necessary.

Menstrual Disorders

In healthy girls menstrual flow is scanty and occurs regularly every month. It comes very near or just on the full moon day which indicates that the body is perfectly healthy. Irregularity or menses or excess of flow or its approach in unusual times is a sign of poor health. If the menses are suppressed then it is very serious case. When the menses are regular but nearer to the new moon day, this is also a sign of ill health, which may become chronic. Irregularity of menses and pain is also a sign of ill health of acute type. In chronic type of cases alkaline diet such as green vegetables, fruits and milk is most essential. Fasting is necessary in acute cases. For suppressed menses Papaya fruit is a good medicine. The ripe fruit may be taken on empty stomach with or without milk; raw fruit may be cooked as a vegetable and taken. In all cases hot hipbaths are helpful. Sitz bath also proves much useful if it is taken several times Diet restrictions are necessary, too.

Amenorrhoea

Amenorrhoea is the cessation of normal menstruation, the monthly period in women.

Anaemia, worry, grief, fear, any serious emotional disturbance, malformation of the womb, consumption, displacement of womb, debility after serious illness, malaria, aggravated dyspepsia, diabetes-are all causes for amenorrhoea.

Bad feeling over head work, want of fresh air, and all causes which depress the system and cause loss of flesh tend to cause diminution and finally stoppage of the menses.

Exposure to cold like that of an unaccustomed bath just before a period is due may also cause stoppage for several months.

During pregnancy and lactation or suckling monthly menses flow stops. This is in accordance with nature. No treatment is needed. No one should think that because there is the stoppage of menstruation, the woman is necessarily pregnant.

When the discharge is checked, there are headache, lassitude, and pain in the lower part of the abdomen, back and loins, and flushing of the face.

In treating case of amenorrhoea, a proper diagnosis should be made as to the causation.

Treatment

Remove the cause.
Attend to the general health. Improve the quality and quantity of the blood if amenorrhoea is due to anemia. Give the plenty of tomatoes, grapes and spinach.

If there is structural defect, it should be removed.

If amenorrhoea is due to emotional disturbance, rest and quiet are essential. A complete change of place will be highly beneficial. All excitement, excessive mental strain, study, etc., should be avoided for some time.

If there is pain in the pelvic region at the time when menstruation is normally due, give hot fomentation to the lower part of abdomen. You can apply hot linseed poultice.

A generous and wholesome diet, tepid bathing, hot hipbath, hot footbath and exercise will do much good.

Keep the bowels free by giving myrobalans, fruits, jams, marmalade, brown bread, porridge and by exercise.

Other Natural Remedies

1. Fruitarian diet for a week.
2. Enema once daily during this period.
3. Fruits and milk diet for another week.
4. Walking or some physical exercises.
5. Eating of 2 to 3 tolas of till with jaggery.

Biochemical Medicines

Calcar Phos 3X in the morning.
Magnes Phos 3X twice or thrice daily in hot water.

Menorrhagia

Menorrhagia means an over-abundance of the menstrual discharge. It is excessive menstruation. It is popularly known as flooding.

If a woman, who has habitually had a period lasting 3 days at intervals of 28 days, begins to have periods lasting 4 to 6 days at intervals of 20 days, it means that she is suffering from menorrhagia.

Bleeding at irregular times is metrorrhagia. It is independent of the periods.

Menorrhagia should not be neglected. It should be properly treated at once.

Menorrhagia is a sign that there is something wrong within the womb.

It is due to a toxic condition of the system on account of wrong feeding habits and general wrong habits of living.

It may be due to small tumors (Fibroids). Sometimes it is a symptom of irritation or infection of the womb. It is due to certain varieties of anaemia, Bright’s disease, diseases of the liver, consumption, high blood pressure, scurvy, diseases of the heart, displacement of the womb, inflammation consequent upon child birth or miscarriage, diseases of the womb, riding, dancing, sexual excess, etc.

Treatment

Menorrhagia is symptom and not a disease. Therefore, find out the cause and remove the cause.

Rest in bed with perfect quietness is essential. Attend to the general health of the patient.

The diet should be low. Give barely water, fruits and fruit juices. Alcohol in any form must be avoided. Hot drinks may increase the discharge. Therefore, give cold drinks.

The clothing should be light. The sleeping room must be well ventilated.

Keep the bowels open. Fasting is beneficial.

Strong tea, coffee, condiments, pickles, sauces, sugar, confectionery, rich cakes, pastry, pudding, cream, rich heavy or greasy foods should be avoided.

Alum lotion may be given as a douche with vaginal nozzle. If necessary plug the vagina with clean sterilized astringent gauze.

Apply cold water, mud or ice poultice on the lower abdomen.

Give Asokamritam. Avoid purgatives. Give garlic once daily.

Other Remedies

1. Hipbath in cold water. 2. Sitz-bath in cold water. 3. Fruitarian diet. 4. Cold-pack over the mouth of the uterus.

Biochemical Remedies

(1) Ferrum Phos. 3X. (2) Kali Mur. 3X. (3) Mag Phos. 3X if there is pain also.

Dysmenorrhoea

Dysmenorrhoea is painful menstruation. It may very from mere discomfort to agonizing colic accompanied by prostration and vomiting. It is due to toxic condition of the system caused by wrong feeding and general wrong living nervous exhaustion, inflammation and congestion of the uterus, ovarian diseases, flexion of the womb or narrowing of the uterine passage, catarrh of the womb, anemia, gout, rheumatism, etc.

The symptoms are tenderness and pain in the lower part of the abdomen, especially just above the groin, pain in the back, a feeling of weight or bearing down in the pelvis with extension of pain into the legs and in most cases colicky pains in the region of the womb. If the pain is very severe, there may be nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sudden desire to pass and pain in passing water. Such symptoms may precede the monthly period be a few hours or sometimes days.

IF the pain is felt 3 days before the flow, the ovaries are the seat of trouble; if it occurs just preceding, it is due to uterine contraction, if the pain continues for sometimes after the flow, there is some inflammation of the parts.

Treatment

Rest in bed is essential.

Apply hot compresses to the lower part of the abdomen.
Keep the bowels open.

Avoid all exposures to damp and chill for 3 days previous to the expected period. A warm bath at the beginning of an attack gives great relief. Apply hot water bag on the loins and abdomen. Sit in tube water (hot hip bath or hot sitz bath).

Foment the loins and lower abdomen.

During the intervals take regular, moderate exercises in the open air.

Avoid late hours and irregular meals.

Paddy husking and sweeping the rooms give the proper exercise.
Use hot water for cleaning the parts.
Give milk, fruits, fruit juices and barely water.
Marriage and conception usually cure the condition in all types of painful monthly flow.

The juice of green roots of green Ulat Kambal is very useful in ensuring menstrual flow. It should be taken three times a day from a week prior to the commencement of the period and continued throughout the period. If green root is not available, Ulat Kambal may be given in the form of confection in tablespoonful doses. Dry the root, powder it. Mix 4 parts of sugar to the powder. Take it with water. This is an emmenagogue and uterine tonic.

Biochemical Medicines

1. Magnes Phos 3X when there is pain.
2. Calcar Phos 3X as preventive, before the beginning of the monthly period. It can be taken daily also, as it is harmless, and tonic, too.

Leucorrhoea

Leucorrhoea is the name given to the milky-white vaginal discharges experienced by many women. It is known commonly as “whites”.

The discharge may be white or yellowish. It may be slight or amount to several ounces daily.

A general toxic condition of the system due to wrong feeding is always at the root of the malady. This is augmented by chronic constipation. Anything, which tends to lower the vitality, is the exciting cause. Anemia, chronic inflammation and displacement of the womb, congestion due to excessive sexual intercourse, frequent child-bearing, ulceration of the mouth of the womb, tumors in the womb or its neighborhood, gonorrhea, etc., may also cause leucorrhoea.

Leucorrhoea is a disease that depends on the general state of health. It arises when the physical condition is lowered.

A vaginal discharge is an indication that something is wrong. No woman should neglect to seek advice because of a feeling of modesty. It is much better to have the condition put right in the early stages than to delay until treatment becomes much more difficult.

Treatment

Treatment aims at improving the health. Exercise and fresh air are necessary. Strict attention should be paid to personal hygiene.

Keep the bowels regular by warm water enema. Remain in the open air.

Give a vaginal douche will plain warm water or warm neem water. The douche should be large in amount, at least a quart, and should be regularly used once or twice daily. Keep the part scrupulously clean.
Sitz bath and cold bath are beneficial.
Take sunbath in the early morning.
Fruits and salads are beneficial.
Take an all fruit diet for 3 or 4 days. If fruit and milk diet is agreeable, you can take it for a week.
Give up cakes, pastry, pudding, white bread, sugar, sweetmeats, rich, heavy or greasy foods, tinned food, meat, strong tea, coffee, condiments, pickles, savories, sauces and smoking.
Fast for 2 or 3 days.

Other Remedies

1. Cold water pack. 2. Fruitarian diet. 3. One plantain with ¼ tola ghee, twice a day. 4. One teaspoonful of turmeric powder with equal quantity of sugar at night.

Biochemical Remedies

Calcar Phos 6X. Morning. Ferrum Phos 6X. Evening.