Book Review - Sexual and Reproductive Health
Thursday, November 3rd 2011 @ 1:10 AM (not yet rated)
It’s a sensitive topic – sexual and reproductive health.
Yet Susun S. Weed tackles it head on in her new book ‘Down There, Sexual and Reproductive Health, The Wise Woman Way.’
What does she tackle, exactly?
Female issues such as vaginal dryness, vulvodynia (intense pain of the vulva), endometriosis, cervical issues and oh yeah, orgasms.
There are also male issues affecting the penis, the testes and the prostate.
The first part of the book is devoted to the pelvic floor and the bladder – for both men and women.
In this section Weed discusses pelvic floor exercises, hemorrhoids and herbs such as fenugreek and horse chestnut.
In the bladder section, she looks at urinary incontinence, bladder cancer, urinary tract infections and bladder infections as well as herbs such as comfrey and yarrow.
Sections especially for women cover the vulva, clitoris, vagina, cervix, uterus and ovaries. In the section on the vagina, Weed goes into extensive coverage of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, STDs.
She covers various forms of cancer of the vagina, cervix, endometrial cancer and ovarian cancer.
Under the men’s section, Weed covers penile distresses and STDs, how drugs can ruin your sex life, fertility and testicular cancer, prostate distresses and cancer and much more.
In each section, Weed gives a step by step guide as to what a person can do for a particular problem and which herbs apply.
She discusses herbs used that are applicable, such as saw palmetto for the prostate, providing an herbal pharmacy with many recipes near the end of the book.
Some of these recipes have interesting names, such as ‘Bladder Buddy Brew,’ or ‘Crotch Cream,’ or ‘Potency Potion Soup’ and ‘Belly Laugh Bowlful.’
Despite their names, the recipes are steeped in herbal wisdom designed to heal the body where it is needed most.
Weed’s endnotes and research is thorough with pages upon pages taken from herbal and medical sources.
