Witches, Women’s Health & Chinese Medicine
As we are in the throes of decorating our houses with pumpkins, ghosts & witches, I can’t help but think about the Salem Witch Trials and wonder how far we’ve really come from persecuting women (and their bodies).
Did you know: every woman who was killed during the Salem Witch Trials was postmenopausal?
Often these women were postmenopausal AND chose not to have children, not to marry, or were divergent from societal norms in other ways. *THE HORROR*
While we may not call them witches nowadays, getting older certainly comes with challenges in a culture that still values youth.
Medically, women/girls are not offered guidance on how to transition into the next phases of life. I think of how young girls are put on birth control to regulate a period, rather than encouraged to seek the help of natural remedies (food, herbs, acupuncture, etc).
Postpartum care in the US is centered around the child being healthy, which is awesome, but what about the new mother?
And perimenopausal women are forced to do their own research and/or plod along uncomfortably until their volatile hormones eventually dissipate all-the-while being increasingly ignored by society.
In contrast, Chinese Medicine thinks of puberty and aging as wonderful parts of their culture.
The Traditional Chinese Medical texts talk vastly on how to rid young women of their menstrual issues; postpartum care for the mother is seen as a necessity for at least the month after she gives birth; and menopause is viewed as a “second wind,” where a woman’s body no longer has to devote its energy to procreation, and the woman can spend their qi or energy passing on their wisdom to the next generation.
For some of you, you may not draw the same parallels that I have between our modern society and the Witch Trials of yore, but I cannot ignore the similarities.
Women are still put on trial to defend the decisions and choices they’ve made for themselves, their sexuality, their career choices, their family choices, etc., and I find it hard to watch.
Thankfully, Chinese Medicine has given me a glimmer of hope that there is a culture of thought devoted to helping all women, regardless of how old they are or what choices they’ve made for themselves.
One day, I hope these thoughts will be something every aspect of society can enjoy. Until then, this Halloween, watch out for those terrifying “sexy” toddler girl outfits, the spooky fact that young women need an earlier curfew or a safety buddy to feel safe, or the deadly feeling that aging is a bad thing.
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