The liberation of women for years 70 a-t-elle permis aux femmes de reprendre le contrôle de leur corps pour mieux gérer leur santé ? Pas vraiment ! Besides the number of abortions remains high despite the widespread use of contraception, un très grand nombre de femmes dénoncent aujourd’hui une emprise toxique du corps médical. That is why, in the direct legacy of the movement "self-help" for years 70, certaines femmes entendent bien se passer de leur gynéco!
Le self-help, this is both an attitude and practice. This invites the woman to reclaim her body and knowledge. Today, Internet potentiates the means of emancipation, mais ils restent restent fondamentalement les mêmes : l’auto-observation et le partage des savoirs sont au cœur de la nouvelle gynécologie do-it-yourself. Gynecology gynecologist without ... ? Overview of the toolkit !
REPORT PUBLISHED IN NEO HEALTH No. 66 APRIL 2017 (voir le pdf)
Nearly half a century after achieving major advances for women women, such as access to contraception and abortion, Today we are witnessing the return of a practice dating back to the 70 et s’opposant au « patriarcat médical » : le self-help. Késaco ? Originally, le self-help (help yourself!) works in group : women learn to observe their sex and cervix with a speculum and mirror. During these very private meetings, every woman can raise her intimate health problems and, with the help of the group, Healing tracks. It is at present, cette pratique a le vent en poupe !
Rina Nissim can attest to the renewed interest of women to the knowledge of their privacy. A pioneer of international women and health movements in the years 70, she developed the first self-help alternative clinic in Geneva, Dispensary women (1978). Pour elle, "The question is not to know what the rest of the self-help today, but to see continuity. These last years, I have often been asked to share this knowledge. After a generation where women believed they could rest on their laurels, the self-help experiences bloom again in groups sometimes from very different backgrounds. There is the side of spiritual backgrounds, but anarchists or autonomous communities, or the professional side, like yoga teachers who can offer this workshop. This is small scale experiments, mais cela pullule !”
The legacy of years 70
With his experience in Dispensary women, but also through the many programs it has conducted in Latin America and India, Rina Nissim participated in the dissemination of this practice and collected know oh so precious for natural women's health. She tells, in A witch of modern times (paru en 2014), les innovations du dispensaire :
"The team consisted of medical members (Physicians, Nursing and midwifery) by critical of their profession, and nonmedical, all from the women's movement and more broadly of the sixty-left huitarde. (…) In case of illness, a choice was offered between modern Western medicine (allopathie) and naturopathy (Herbal Medicine, homéopathie, acupuncture, etc.) an extension of what we had experienced in self-help groups. (…) The most important was to encourage women, during consultation, to put themselves speculum and watch their neck first. They thus réappropriaient their privacy and were in position to increase their autonomy. There was not a woman doctor in each consultation but a duo of workers (…). Pour nous, it was revolutionary. We managed to create a new profession of health workers available to any woman motivated, with a simple gynecologist who allowed women to reclaim their health and gain autonomy ".
The approach was a great success, especially since the treatments were effective. The clinic will stop its activity 1995 but will have generated a large number of health centers of its kind in Europe, particularly in Switzerland, en Allemagne et en Belgique… mais pas en France ! In this country, it still remains very difficult to exercise a natural medicine, the Board of the Medical prevailing medical practice as a dog on a bone.
Fruit of its experience, Rina Nissim wrote in 1984 First Book Mamamelis, Manual Gynecology Naturopathic for use by women. reissued 5 time (latest edition of 2016), this bestseller has become THE bible of natural gynecology do-it-yourself. "All proposed treatments have been used in the clinic for women (…) for conditions such as painful periods, irregular cycles, fibroids,endometriosis, the ovarian cyst etc.!”, says the author.
Dispossession to reconquest
In the introduction to this manual, written over it 30 years but still as relevant, Rina Nissim recalled that the struggle of women for their health is never separated from the struggle for their rights. “The self-help movement was born of the awareness of the immense dispossession of knowledge / power whose caregivers were victims in favor of caste doctors. The witches were burned because they knew too much and since, Medicine has relegated women to subordinate roles (…). Obstetrics and gynecology gives an exaggerated example of expropriation which women have been the subject. In the delivery room, the chairs are designed for the comfort of obstetricians and not for that of birth. Almost all gynecology was in the hands of men who have no uterus, or vagina but have become the new scholars of the genital area and its medicine.
"The result is a wall of incomprehension, therapeutics that suppress the symptoms without addressing the causes, unbridled use of synthetic hormones in such broad indications that painful periods, acne ... and even menopause. These are heavy therapeutic implications for cardiovascular disease, cancer and tumor processes, sans oublier les conséquences pour le délicat système hormonal ! (…) In Geneva, as elsewhere, lot of fortunes are made "on the backs of women" not necessarily sick, but who need help, such as abortion or infertility problem. "
The invasive medical technology
A still valid observation that Marianne Durano, chroniqueuse éco-féministe de la revue Limite (France) : "From puberty until & rsquo; at menopause, especially during their pregnancies, women get used to the & rsquo; idea that & rsquo; they need technical and medical crutches to serenely live their bodies and their sexuality. Vaccines, pills, implants, blood tests and hormonal treatments : spread her thighs before a procession of gynecologists is considered a painful but unavoidable routine ".
Marianne Durano preparing a book about the grip of medical technology on the female body. “This technique enabled management d & rsquo; oust the female body of the political field. No need to revolutionize the world of work or seductive relationships, SINCE & rsquo; we believe control female fertility, ses rythmes et ses contraintes ! Only an awareness of both feminist and environmentalist will enable women to actually release the triple hindrance of the medical device, economic and symbolic in which they are trapped. "
You would have understood it, self-help as a response to the ultramédicalisation is not to make regular visits to the gynecologist to obediently follow the schedule of screenings… Quite the contrary. And not without reason. Screening mammography is now widely questioned (voir Néo Santé n°10, March 2012, The ravages of screening). This secondary prevention (the disease is already installed) is double-edged : combien de seins ou d’utérus enlevés par “précaution” alors que les tumeurs n’auraient pas évolué ? For contraception, the prescription of a pill or a hormonal IUD can also be dangerous (see New Health No. 60, October 2016, The release pill or jail?). The vaccine against cervical cancer, on highly recommended him, also presents all aspects of a health time bomb (see New Health number 32, March 2014, Anti HPV vaccines, girls are guinea pigs).
Google is your friend
Today, women see their gynecologist as a partner but not as the absolute referent. Internet allows them access to independent and alternative information they would never have got in consultation. Solutions allowing them to adopt an active attitude Health, freely.
On social networks, the emergence of self-help groups in gynecology does ensure continuity with the traditional self-help movement. The need is still there. "The field returns clearly evoke a form of & rsquo; oppression, especially when women want to heal naturally. Besides the lack of listening, they are often considered, “ce sont des remèdes de grand-mère”, to science as presented in our service ", says Mélissa Moreau, director of the Facebook group "natural Gynecology". “
“Le groupe à un aspect très complet de la gynécologie, it brings together the knowledge of the members at the naturopathy, phytotherapy, s & rsquo; aromatherapy, links between body and mind, and especially of the female physiology. We share our experiences, our research, our worries, our anxieties in good humor and kindness. Ce groupe apprend aux femmes à gérer et à découvrir leur féminité, it gives lines of thought whatsoever to the food level, at plants or d & rsquo; a natural contraception. We were able to create several gateways with d & rsquo; other groups to refer women to better advice when & rsquo; there needs (sympto, obstetric violence, etc.). We are here to listen and reassure our members, là où beaucoup de professionnels les laissent tomber”.
virtual red tents
The "Gynecology natural" group is an offshoot of another group (aujourd & rsquo; hui secret) : "The voice of Shakti, natural gynecology ". The latter had 10 000 members in spring 2017 en un peu plus d’une année d’existence ! "The growth has been rapid and we were overwhelmed by the situation. On a répondu à un besoin qu’on ne soupçonnait pas du tout !”, says Charlotte Granet, one group of heads, facilitator circles women.
Amazed by the South American movement Ginecologia Natural of ecofeminist Pabla Pérez San Martín, Charlotte co-created this virtual red tent "To restore the western feminine knowledge without necessarily fetch in other cultures. We can not escape unscathed from four centuries of inquisition. We want to revive our knowledge, present in our cellular memory. The wife of transmission to women has always existed, but with the support of social networks, the wave of the female seems to grow and across the globe. "
Depending on the theme of group, file shares rife : it goes from the grip of a diaphragm for use abortive plants through lists of health practitioners open to alternative medicine, etc.. It s & rsquo; also help on ecological time management moons : serviettes home made, cup, free flow…
The French group Symptothermie, 6 500 membres en mars 2017 après deux ans d’existence, For his part oriented on a do-it-yourself contraception as reliable as the pill. Totale des fournitures : a thermometer and a manual open access. This group is a worthy heir to the practice of self-examination of the cervix, with the fingers and not with a speculum. It also evaluates the "inner feeling". We thus arrive at the determine its fertility status. Cris de joie et séquence émotion l’autre matin sur le groupe : "Great revelation : J & rsquo; HAVE TOUCHED MY NECK!!!”
Feedback from community members do not expect : “ça me révolte quand même de me dire à quel point on ne se connaît pas : j & rsquo; I discovered my neck… 28 years ! J’ai appelé le médecin car je croyais que j’avais une tumeur ou un truc du genre ! ”; "The same, 28 years ! j & rsquo; I called my mother in panic. Midwife, elle aurait pu me mettre au courant avant ! Elle s’est bien marrée en me disant que c’était effectivement mon col !” .
Know, is power
The self-help of the twenty-first century will be supported by these new communities, the goal remains the same as in years 70 : "Loosen tongues and open discussions favoring insights about our relationship to the body, sexuality, Health and power relations between men and women or with the medical world ", Rina Nissim explains in A witch of modern times.
Thanks to the Internet, workshop proposals to acquire different female knowledge is also better known and relayed. The offer is very abundant, as well as the female festivals. other time, other customs, women do share more of the rules extraction kit (a way to circumvent the anti-abortion law), elles explorent d’autres aspects de leur gyn-écologie : "For the practice of self-examination with a speculum, I recommend instead the home. It is not easy to get into a group where one does not know anyone ", Penelope says Marie Peres, Yoga teacher and the female companion. “In workshop, I propose a sensory exploration, with a description of the anatomy that can represent her uterus or cervix regarded as something natural to the touch. The awareness of the link breast-heart-uterus can sometimes be overwhelming and definitely change its relationship to the body ".
Marie Pénélope Pérès also introduces women to a physical practice for triggering rules, potential support for contraception. "It was inspired by the Aviva Steiner method, consists movements involving the basin. It regulates the menstrual cycle and provides multiple support multiple ailments. Any woman can appropriate with a little practice ". Adelheid Ohlig, Luna Yoga author, Mona Hébert, homeopath in Quebec, also actively popularize this knowledge discovered in the years 60. The method is not yet widely known, but it could become the. A woman informed worth 10 and news travels fast on social networks.
Getting to female
Next to a feminism to protest accents (most of today's self-help workshops are accompanied by a militant reflection on the exclusion of gay and transgender people), emerging self-help practices that do not fit in a social struggle but act more in the depths of being. This is the purpose of the book Wisdom and power of the female cycle by Marie Penelope Peres and clinical herbalist Sarah-Maria Leblanc (Quebec). "A committed Book, which is a continuation of women's liberation movements, but also in a broader perspective that connects our collective memory to ecological issues of today " (preface).
The authors explain how a woman can live in harmony with each phase of the cycle. Herbal medicines and foods that nourish the female cycle are all simple tips to reconnect with oneself. In this same current, that of women-medicine or brujas (healing the meaning chamanic), natural gynecology Pabla Pérez San Martín now radiates beyond his native Chile (350 000 J’aime sur la page FB Ginecosofia).
“Women can develop great power crossing the sensory reconquest of her body with a better knowledge of plants, Penelope says Marie Peres. It is a knowledge that takes the time to tame each plant and connects us to the ancient tradition of women. The connection with the invisible collective memory can awaken intuitive woman, instinctive, wild. This cements a force within oneself. After, on ne peut plus nous raconter n’importe quoi !”
This gyn ecology participates in empuissancement every woman (empowerment) for a collective reconquest of female. "When we speak of" Female ", it is upstream of the cultural or political aspect of our lives. This great principle is in the area of the body and Being. When a woman cares, she feeds her own healing but also its environment. "
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Books and Publications
- Mamamelis, Gynecology Naturopathic manual for use by women, Rina Nissim, 2011, 5edition, éd. Mamamélis.
- A witch of modern times, the self-help movement and women and health, Rina Nissim, éd. Mamamélis.
- Wisdom and power of the female cycle, Mary Penelope Peres, Sarah-Maria Leblanc, éd. The Golden Breath (2015, reissue 2017).
- INTRODUCTORY the Natural Gynecology, Pabla Pérez San Martín (www.ginecosofia.com). Du même auteur : Body to roots.
- moon Yoga, Adelheid Ohlig, 2014, éd. Mamamélis
- Medicine Women, natural vision of health in women. Mona Hébert. reissue 2011 the Golden Breath.
- Self-examination : health act, Caroline Larue, 1986, éd. the Remueménage.
- Menopause, reflections and alternatives to hormone replacement, Rina Nissim, 2015, éd. Mamamélis.
Two historical works.
Our body, ourselves, Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, Boston Collective for Women's Health, Albin Michel, Paris, 1977. Text pioneer of self-help movement for years 60 and 70. This book has been translated into 31 languages and the group is still active today.
witches, midwives and nurses, Barbara Ehrenreich et Deirdre English, Figures of the Movement for Women's Health. Published in 1973 US, investigate the demonization of popular healers in the sixteenth century in Europe, making the & rsquo; gap midwives in the nineteenth. More recently, on the same topic, Caliban and the Witch, Silvia Federici, 2014, éd. Senonevero / Entremonde.
self-review workshops
ASBL women and health (Belgium). This center offers self-review workshops. www.femmesetsante.be.
Facebook Self-help Toulouse (France). Ateliers proposés dans une démarche dite de « non-mixité choisie », that is to say, open to anyone with female genitals.
Ateliers sur la symptothermie
J & rsquo; organizes training sessions, individual or group, -face or online. See this article for my blog : Qu & rsquo; is that the symptothermie ?
Related Articles
Keywords: natural contraception, cycle féminin, do it yourself, gynécologie, self help, symptothermie