When Do You See A Holistic Gyn? | Gynecologic Conditions

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Doctor-1 Why see a Holistic Gynecologist instead of a regular gynecologist? In the past most women only thought about seeing their gynecologist either when it was time for the routine pelvic exam and pap smear or they had a gynecologic problem. Seems quite reasonable. But what about preventing gynecologic problems or how about problems which are often not connected with or considered part of the role their gynecologist would normally play?

Certainly if your menstrual periods are regular, you have no spotting or excessive bleeding, your periods are not painful, too long to too short there should be no reason to see a gynecologist? Right? Well, maybe and maybe not.

Being a woman is a full time job and it often creates problems that well, the average gynecologist is unaware of or maybe better still is not trained in or even interested in. Who helps women to be healthy women, the family practitioners? The internist? The GP? Who is it that women can go to for information about “being a woman,” “understanding your body,” helping you with issues that are unique to women living in a complex society? If it is not one of the above, then maybe it would be your mother or possibly your grandmother, true? How about another woman? A woman doctor? A nurse practitioner? Or are you just on your own, left to figure it out for yourself? Ask your mother who helped her? Likely no one, she either learned it on her own, or she never got the answers she needed. Now ask her what it has cost her to have no one to answer the most important questions of her life?

If you are over 40 it is likely that you have seen at least one and possible several gynecologists, are you better off for it or have you been aware that many of your questions, needs and problems still exist? The problem is that medical doctors in general, GP, internists even Ob/Gyns are not really trained to take care of and help women to be healthier, happier and more evolved women, they are trained to take care of medical problems. If you have a medical problem, chances are your Gyn (GP, Family practitioner or internist) will be able to help you deal with and maybe even resolve your immediate or acute problem, but will this or has this prevented your problem from returning or from new related and unrelated problems from occurring in the future?

I am not knocking any medical doctors, I am simply stating a fact, medical doctors are trained to deal with medical problems not helping you to prevent future illnesses, not in helping you to cure problem and ensure they never return, nor in helping you be physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually healthy and evolved.

The Holistic Gynecologist approaches women differently. While he or she are fully aware that medical illnesses can and do occur, they see the causes of these illnesses differently than the average medical practitioner. While the holistic practitioner understands that bacteria, viruses and “bad” genes exist, he also is aware that they are only part of the reason illness occurs. Since the holistic practitioner sees the world differently than the western trained medical practitioner he recognizes that a multiplicity of factors such as mind, body, emotions, spirit, faulty belief systems, diet, life style, relationships, environmental, toxic chemicals and a host of other factors also play causative and potentiating roles in creating, maintaining and worsening illness.

Even more important is that the holistic practitioner is not limited by a body of knowledge, which can help save your life in an acute life-threatening emergency, but can not help you prevent, learn from, grow or evolve from your illness and the reasons why that illness occurred in the first place.

The most important role the holistic gynecologist plays is in helping women to live a healthier, happier more quality filled life. Often we interpose with western medical doctors to act as an advocate to help women work out problems with the least medical intervention and in the most natural treatments. Prevention is the highest rule for if you can prevent a problem you do not have to ether suffer from it or treat it. You have a higher quality of life and less cost, pain, suffering and aggravation.

What Does a Holistic Gyn Actually Do?

Obviously the first thing most women (and men as well) assume is that a visit to a gynecologist will require a pelvic examination and possibly a pap smear. Actually, this is not always true. In fact, while pelvic exams may need to be done, they are not the main stay of the a visit to a holistic gyn. Even more important are two other procedures: 1) talking and 2) solving problems.

Pelvic exams are needed for two main reasons annual preventive examination (with or without a pap smear) and when there is a problem involving the female organs. The second is likely the easiest to understand. If the woman is having a gyn problem: pain, bleeding, swelling, etc. then a pelvic exam is necessary to determine what is happening so a solution can be created. Prevention, on the other hand, seems in general to be more difficult to understand in our society. In a prevention situation the pelvic has several importance's:

To determine if all reproductive organs are within normal size, shape and working effectively, taking a pap smear, establishing that there will be no problems with getting pregnant nor anatomical complications during or after pregnancy.

To teach the Kegel exercises. Women who already have stress incontinence or prolapse of the bladder or uterus often find great benefit from doing Kegel exercises, the best way to understand how to do them right is to teach the woman during a pelvic exam. While some women can get it right using instructions on a sheet of paper, most learn better and faster after being taught what they should do and how it will feel when they do them correctly, during a pelvic exam.

Teaching female anatomy. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, this is true in gynecology, often when doing a pelvic exam I can bring the uterus, sometimes one or both ovaries, up to the abdominal wall so that the patients can actually feel hence visualize her own uterus and ovaries. This is often helpful in helping these women understand what their organs are like and how to visualize them to maintain their wellness.

The gyn exam allows the holistic gyn to teach self breast examination. Once again not simply by giving a sheet of paper or a web address to tread, but by getting the woman to put her hands on her breasts, feel them and understand exactly what she is feeling and what she should be feeling.

The holistic gyn, unlike many conventional gyn’s, does a full body skin check looking for any abnormality that might represent a skin cancer or melanoma. He teaches the women what to look for and where to look for abnormal skin lesions.

The holistic gyn, unlike many conventional gyn’s, will check peripheral pulses in the groin, legs and feet and look for peripheral vascular problems, before they become major health issues. He also teaches what to look for and how to self check these pulses to his patients during the exam, with her hands on in order for it to be more than an academic experience.

As a Holistic Gyn, I Do More

As a holistic gyn I do not just do a gyn, annual pelvic exam, and send my patients packing. I do a lot more. I know that prevention and treatment require understanding the woman, her life, her stresses, her problems, the way she creates solutions and the solutions she is unable to make:

I talk with each woman about her life. I ask about what makes her happy and unhappy, her stresses, her problem and about potential problem solving techniques and solutions. The visit is not just about doing a pap smear and out the door, it is a true prevention encounter.

I encourage, but do not insist upon the woman talking about sexual matters, goals, aspirations, fears, frustrations, problems and their potential solutions and the opportunities they present to her.

When a problem exists I work with each woman individually to find the exact right solution for her. Whether this be using standard western medical techniques and prescription medications (her choice), over-the-counter medications, herbal treatments, alternative medical treatments (chiropractic, acupuncture, energy therapy, spiritual therapy, exercise or others), I work with nutrition and vitamin-mineral and food supplements whenever possible. I also use a number of special techniques I have learned or created to help the woman’s body communicate what is wrong, what unresolved conflicts are creating her illness or problems and what is needed to resolve these problems.

While most standard Western gyn's never talk about healing, wellness or prevention, these are all considered the important part of the holistic gyn's vocabulary, and the most important goal of each and every interaction with each of his patients.

Talking and Solving Problems

As I have just stated above, questions and answers, medical and life history are important, while some of this information can be obtained using specially designed forms more often than not the causes and reasons for most illnesses are determined through talking about them, recognizing the conflicts the body wants solved and then creating a problem to deal with and resolve them. This is best accomplished through a one-on-one dialogue wherein I can ask questions, teach, help the woman recognize her conflict and then help her to create a plan and program she feels comfortable with, and one that she can and will use to heal herself.

When Should a Woman See a Holistic Gyn?

The smartest answer I can give you is before any problems exist to work on preventing them. Obviously, once a problem exists to search for cause and the most natural solution. If we are asking about at what age the answer is less clear. Certainly, once you are already having intercourse on contraception is important, unless you want to become pregnant, protection and prevention are essential. Prior to having intercourse a pap smear and pelvic exam should be done and a discussion regarding contraception, sexually transmitted disease prevention and evaluation for human papilloma virus (HPV) should occur. All women should have at last one pelvic, pap smear and breast exam beginning by age 21. Women 21 to 29 should have a pelvic, pap smear and breast exam every year. Women ages 30 to 64 should have pelvic, pap smear and breast exam every other year or more if there are any medical problems. A pap smear alone is meaningless. The exam should also include listening to your heart, checking your breasts, checking for abnormal lymph nodes, abdominal and back problems, checking for melanoma and other skin cancers, a full and complete total body annual examination.

When Are Pelvic Exams Needed?

The obvious answer is when they come in for their annual examinations, and if they are having gynecologic problems. Teenage girls should see an Ob/Gyn between the ages of 13 to 15. Pelvic examinations are rarely required during these early visits, these visits are to 1) help to establish a relationship with the doctor of her choice, 2) to go over your medical and sexual history (even if she has not yet had sexual intercourse.) This is an excellent time to get started teaching and asking questions about sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptives. It is a excellent time to learn about female anatomy, menstruation, hygiene, and being a healthy happy woman.

While many young girls are shy and mothers are reticent of bring up the idea of sex, my past experience has demonstrated that frank discussions increase the ability for young girls to make better decisions, have less regrets, eliminate fears and protect them from harm.

What Other Problems Require Pelvic Exams?

You should always see your gynecologist if you experience:

Any unusually and/ or persistent vaginal discharge
Vaginal bleeding or spotting between periods
Any abnormal bleeding occurs you must change sanitary napkins, tampons, or other menstrual products more often than once every two to three hours.
Bleeding after sexual intercourse.
Bleeding between periods.
Pelvic pain or menstrual cramps severe enough to disrupt your daily routine for even a few days a month.
Pain during or after having sex
Any unusual discharge, pain, swelling, or itching of you vagina or lower abdomen.
Vaginal infections
The onset of menopause with or without menopausal symptoms
Dry vagina
Recurrent bladder infections

While these may or may not be serious problems, they all can be indicators that a serious problem either exist or is developing. The holistic gyn wants you to recognize this and take appropriate actions to undue or heal any actual or potential problem.

These symptoms can indicate a medical problems, vaginal infection or signs of sexually transmitted disease or STD which could affect your future fertility. They may also indicate other diseases such as:

Endometriosis
Pelvic inflammatory disease or a number of other reproductive disorders
Stress incontinence
Prolapse of the bladder or uterus

Testing For STDs?

While we may not like to think about it STD’s not only still exist but they are at almost epidemic levels and because of over use of antibiotics they are not only more dangerous, but also more painful and problematic then ever before. Many young women lose their ability to ultimately have children because they were not prepared, did not know how to deal with this issue. This is an enormous price to pay for pride or shyness.

Women should not only know the symptoms of STD but how they are contracted and how they can be prevented.
If you've had a negative HPV test, this does not mean you don't need to have a yearly pelvic exam. HPV can cause cervical cancer, negative tests do not mean you still may not get cervical cancer.
You may not know that with each new sexual partner your risk of getting HPV increases by 15 percent? This means that if you are having multiple sex partners your risk of cervical cancer caused by HPV can be substantial. According to the American College of Gynecology guidelines for Pap testing women diagnosed with HIV or other diseases or conditions that lower immunity should continue having annual Pap smears after age 30.
It is a proven fact that the greatest single reason for morbidity and death caused by cervical cancer is not having Pap smears according to recommended guidelines. The majority of women diagnosed with cervical cancer had not had a Pap smear in five or more years. Sadly, these women are usually at an advanced stage of cancer when they receive diagnosis.

Prevention of Chronic Diseases

Along with prevention of gynecologic problems the holistic gyn must also be involved with prevention and early diagnosis of breast cancer, osteoporosis, aging, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, digestive problems. Unlike the standard Western gyn who limits himself to gyn problems, the holistic practitioner is concerned with the whole person, not just his or her reproductive organs.

The holistic practitioner keep tabs on and refers his patients for regular mammography or thermography, bone density testing, colonoscopy, skin checks for cancer, BRACA gene testing, HIV abd STD testing, fertility and infertility testing when indicated, and also periodically evaluates body weight, diet, nutritional status and general state of health and wellness.

For more information on What is Holistic Gynecology?, click here.