Recently I was asked, "Are there particular herbs or remedies that you’d suggest for clients with pelvic floor dysfunction?" Well, yes and no. This is a classic answer, I know! One of the things I’m on a mission to teach is that plants weren’t invented for our illnesses, so having that expectation of “what’s a good herb for…” doesn't really translate into actual improvements in our health. Because as a general rule plants don’t really care what our problems are! Right?! They're out there, living their lives, making chemical compounds to attract pollinators and defend against pests and foragers, and generally not too concerned with the bipeds sharing their planet. They're not trying to help us, regardless of how much we want to use them to our ends. Having said that, there are some herbs that can help us in some more specific ways. It turns out that lots and lots of plants do interact with us chemically in ways that are beneficial to our health! Just not always, or in expected ways, or precise amounts, so take your time trying out plants as medicine. Let me give you an example. Chamomile is one of my favorites, and it plays a great dual role here. First, Chamomile helps relax muscles, especially in the lower abdomen. The sweet apple fragrance of chamomile comes from its essential oils, so making a tea of good quality whole dried flowers, or fresh if you can get them is even better, will help relieve abdominal, menstrual, and pelvic floor muscle cramping. Then, when you let the chamomile sit in the water 20 minutes, an hour, overnight, it gets darker and more complex and bitter, and now your chamomile tea has become a digestive aid. This is also really helpful in PFD b/c constipation can increase pressure and all sorts of things so having a healthy, well functioning digestive system is really important. There are also some other plants that can help with PFD symptoms- If you're experiencing irritation, like maybe cystitis, soothing things can help, like:
Astringent aka toning things might help too, like:
Choosing between them is often a matter of self-knowledge and trusting intuition. Does it feel dry, like it needs soothing? Or feel boggy, like there's too much fluid and it needs toning? These herbs are great as teas, especially since these kinds of internal PFD conditions are often helped with more fluid diluting urine. Curious about the soothing suggestion? Yes, you can add Oats to tea! You can also just eat them, well cooked and thick. Also, here's a SUPER tasty and really easy experiment:
Prolapse is a biggie in the Pelvic Floor Dysfunction world, affecting the muscular organs of the lower abdomen as well as the connective tissues that should be supporting them. Again toning herbs like Raspberry leaf or Rose would help, again as a tea. I can find Raspberry leaf tea bags in most of my local grocery and health food stores, and there are lovely tea blends with Rose in them, like Tulsi Rose or White Tea Rose. My suggestion is to look for organic brands (both because of the quality of the tea and also what the tea bag itself is made of) and to check the expiration date to make sure the box hasn't been sitting there too long. Additionally, Solomon’s Seal is a root medicine that’s really helpful with repairing connective tissue. You can purchase the chopped dried root to use as a tea ingredient, or you can find it infused in oil to use as an abdominal massage. I also have a delicious alcohol-based tincture of Solomon's Seal that I use a few drops of when my joints are feeling too loose (I'm a bit hypermobile) and this could be taken orally or massaged into the abdomen as well. Remember, though, plants weren't invented for us and so it doesn't work to just "use" them for our benefit. For example, before just walking into a health food store and announcing to the confused staff, "An herbalist on the internet says I need Solomon's Seal for my prolapse!," or buying a case of Raspberry leaf tea and starting a quart-a-day discipline, I might suggest a gentler course of action. Avail yourself of the internet and do a local search for herbalists. Reach out to them and say you're interested in learning more about [enter plant here] and do they grow/sell it, or know anyone who does? Try to talk to an herbal practitioner face to face (or zoom to zoom, as the case may be) (yes I do consultations). Learn what the plant looks like, and try to recognize it if you walk in parks or gardens. Order some dried plant from a bigger supplier like Herbiary or Mountain Rose if you can't find it locally. Chew on a few pieces for a while. Make it into tea (roots need to steep overnight or simmer at least an hour). Drink some tea, then add the rest to a bath. Pay attention to how it feels, comparing it to plants you're used to feeling like Coffee, Peppermint, Chamomile, Onions, Strawberries... you get the picture. You're learning if you and this plant get along, and this isn't anything like watching out for side effects from medications, is it? No one person- friend, therapist, chef, author, actor, boss, etc- is perfect for everyone. No one herb is either. So give it a little time, get to know it, before you decided if it "works for you." Have you ever spent time trying to get to know a plant?
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One of my ‘echo lessons’ (those things you’ll hear from me so many times that my voice saying it will sound clearly in your head!) is that PLANTS WEREN’T INVENTED FOR OUR ILLNESSES so there’s no “herb for” our problems. Plants are individual little chemical beings, just like us, and so we all interact with them differently. For proof, look no further than all the different reactions and tolerances people have to coffee. Having said that, plants can fall into broad categories, and one of those categories are things that can help us heal and recover from injury and inflammation. Injury is just that- damage caused by outside forces, that can be a short sharp shock, or something worn down by chronic misuse. The really short version of inflammation is that when there’s injury, roving construction crews notice it and send out the alarm for help, which descends on the site “ants on a cupcake” style. All these “construction ants” do the repair work, while the body ups things like circulation so fresh crews get delivered and the waste like damaged cells gets washed to the dumpsters/lymph nodes- this is where lymph swelling comes from, btw. Plants can help us in a variety of ways through all of our healing processes. They can: 🌼 help prevent infection of open wounds, decreasing the immune system’s workload 🌼 decrease pain 🌼 cool a site when swelling gets too much 🌼 increase lymph flow when it’s not getting out of a site and things are getting crowded 🌼 normalize the inflammation response when it needs to increase or decrease but isn’t 🌼 support the healing of specific tissues like nerves, blood vessels, connective tissue, or gut lining Now, I’d like to make it clear here that I’m talking about the kinds of injuries you’d commonly have no problem dealing with yourself. If it’s anything outside of your comfort zone, SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP. So how, exactly, can herbs help your feet and pelvic floor (and everything else) heal? There’s a couple of specific herbs to tell you about, and a couple of common combos you’ll find at health food or herb shops. Let’s take your feet as an example. You’ve been listening to this Paula person online, and you’re using your feet more, getting more texture in your walking surfaces, turning them to parallel several times a day, and things are getting a bit uncomfortable. Maybe your feet are tired and a little tender, maybe your hips and knees are getting used in new ways and are a little sore. First, Arnica. It’s a little yellow flower, usually steeped in oil to extract its medicinal qualities but you’ll also often find it in homeopathic form. (Homeopathy is a totally different modality than herbalism that’s equally valid but way outside my wheelhouse.) I’ve seen Arnica massage oil, cream, lotion, balm, body wash, skin spray- anything topical you can think of. Arnica helps deflect the trauma of an injury. It helps prevent bruising and swelling, it helps you be in less pain and be less shocky. Arnica is a classic go-to immediately after something happens. Another specific is Solomon’s Seal. It’s less common, but I mention it because it does such a wonderful job helping your connective tissues heal, which is normally very hard to do. Topically you can use it as an oil based remedy to rub in, and it’s also a delicious tincture to take internally. Both work well, separately or together. Arnica and Solomon’s Seal are first to my mind as specifics when we’re talking injury, but it’s probably more common and accessible to talk about the products you’ll find pretty much everywhere someone is selling herbal remedies. You can absolutely make your own remedies, but when you’re first starting out, and if you find yourself in a pinch without your usual stash, a general healing salve made by most herbalists are great to keep on hand. Any shop with herbal remedies that‘s worth its salt will have jars or tins of some kind of “healing salve”. This is a blend of oils infused with herbs like Calendula, Plantain, St John’s Wort, Comfrey, etc, that’s had something hard like beeswax added to it so it stays put. These are great things to rub on a boo-boo- not only will the herbs help speed the healing, but the rubbing action helps circulation which is good too. So long as a wound isn’t actively bleeding or weeping or obviously needing professional care, a healing salve can be your go-to initial remedy. Next to the healing salves should be muscle rubs, which are very similar but have ingredients like Cayenne, Ginger, or Menthol. Massaging them into sore muscles or inflamed areas brings the same benefits as healing salves, these are just designed to penetrate more deeply and bring circulation to sore muscles. Also worth noting here is Magnesium in all its glorious forms- crystals, sprays, gels, balms, rollers, sticks, and internal supplements like powders, tablets, and liquids. Magnesium does a lot of things so let me explain it like this- your muscles need Mg to relax (like, at all. As in, the opposite of contract), and tension restricts circulation. So I always, always suggest Mg supplements internally or externally for anything that hurts for more than a day. Be warned though, your digestive tract is a muscle too- excess Mg makes it hard for things like the colon to hold onto its contents since it’s, you know, relaxed. Go easy on the Mg supplements till you know your tolerance!
On the topic of inflammation, there's SO MUCH to say! Don't get overwhelmed by how much information is available out there. Here's my Rules of Thumbs:
This is the quick and dirty list of First Steps to working with herbal remedies to help heal injuries and inflammation. There's lots more that can (and has been and will be) said! But when find yourself in the first throes of injury, these are my suggestions. The foundation of the training you'll get from me is from the Your Pelvic Matters program, a pelvic floor rehab system that works with alignment, strengthening, and stretching to improve pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). Spoiler alert- MOST of us have SOME kind of PFD, at least sometimes. In my full body approach, I work with people who deal with:
Oh, this sounds like you? And you want to fix it? OK! Here's a list. In a nutshell, you need to:
And, there you have it! That's quite an extensive list as you can see, but if you've ever asked me a question along the lines of: "What exercises are good for....?" I rarely if ever answer it by listing my "go to" exercises, because I look at the body as a whole unit, and just sending you away with 4 movements to do in isolation isn't going to relieve your symptoms. You've got to take some responsibility for your pain and actions going forwards too, you see. If you're concerned that any symptom you're suffering with is not going away, it's probably time to get in touch with me, don't you think? I teach 1:1 clients all the time, and next month the next round of my semi-private program the Foot to Forehead Fix opens again. It's a frequently asked question: But aren’t you an herbalist? Or are you a movement teacher? My philosophy is simple- if it helps you be well, it’s fair game to include in my whole body approach to wellness. Boom. Lymph is a super simple example (this is all the body fluid that’s not actively in your blood right now. It’s in and in between cells, and in lymph vessels and nodes, washing away waste products like old cells and dead bacteria. But the lymph system doesn’t have a pump like the heart in the circulatory system, it relies on the body moving for it to move.) Lymph can be supported materially by:
It can also be supported manually by:
My practice integrates the manual and the material- I’ll teach you to move, stand, and sit right AND how to support your body from the inside. It’s a whole body approach that’s really, actually holistic- inside and out, physical and herbal, consistent and persistent. Check out my services here and get to work with me to feel better yourself I've been going around and around deciding how to tell you about my online program- why I'm offering it, who it helps, why you should care. Finally, I just sat down and wrote you a letter. Since I don't have your snail mail address, here it is. Dear You, I know you’ve always been active, in motion. Keeping everyone and everything around you going, flowing, clean and tidy, engaged and entertained. And I know you’re worried about aging, gracefully or otherwise. And I know you’re BUSY! Life doesn’t slow down just because you have a few more aches and pains. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just make your physical history go away? If you could wave a magic wand and you could feel as nimble as you used to? So many of us have accumulated Living Pains that have eroded our confidence, our trust in our own bodies. I want you to level up your experience of your own “normal”. I want you to feel your confidence again, your self-assurance, your mojo, your strength- literally and figuratively. (Whaaa..? Well, we hear that mind/body/spirit are one, we see the word “holistic” bandied about, but our culture still divides them and our ingrained understanding is of separations between what we think and what we do. So I talk about connections. You can have muscular AND personality strength. You deserve both! You can have spatial AND systemic balance. They work together! It takes some practice to understand the world as a Whole, so just roll with me on this for now. OK, let’s continue.) Back to that “life doesn’t slow down” idea. What I’m suggesting is, yes, a little bit extra. Some online classes, a few private meetings with me. And I know you’re busy. But what’s that old saying? Oh yeah- An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. (A favorite Ben Franklin-ism) I also like this one: I don’t believe in luck, I believe in preparation. (By the great Bobby Knight) Can you handle just one more? Confidence is preparation. Everything else is beyond your control. (Thank you Richard Kline) In all the years (allllllll the years!) I’ve been teaching people like you about functional, whole body movements (in those reformer pilates classes) and about integrating plant medicine into your lives to stay healthy and sane in the first place (Stress? Sleep? Anybody? Boy, that’s a lot of hands waving. Alright, everybody!), I keep seeing the same 2 things over and over and over: EverySingleOneOfUs needs to go back to basics just a little AND Everyone feels AMAZING when they suddenly, finally get it. You feel strong, self-assured, confident, balanced, and lively. Imagine that. The preparation plan that I’m offering you is made of foundational, small movement practices. They’re designed to fit easily into your life, in natural pauses and positions you already have. And of simple food medicine to heal our most common complaints, like around chronic stress, inflammation, poor digestion or elimination. This program doesn’t ask you to stop anything you’re already doing. In fact, it encourages you to get more in! It’s not a replacement for your workouts, your walks, your memberships and your favorite sports. What is does do is create a solid, stable foundation for you to move and live from, so that everything you do is improving your physical infrastructure. What if taking a walk improved your hips, pelvis, and core? What if gardening or washing dishes improved your posture and endurance? What if you learned not just to breathe, but HOW to breathe, and it improved your reflux? Imagine having a sense of adventure again- do you want to climb the Rocky steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (72 steps)? Or maybe climb to the top of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome (551 steps!)? I’ve heard these stories and more from amazing, normal clients who finally decided to go for their bucket lists, stories about hiking volcanoes, and zip lining in rainforests, and biking across beautiful countries. I’ve also heard about getting on the floor to play with the grandkids, and doing home-improvement projects by hand, and taking up a favorite game again, and managing an over-full shopping basket with ease. The bigger story here is what it took to get from sitting too much, hurting too much, limping and creaking and groaning too much, to these successes. Surprise- it doesn’t take that much. So if you’re ready to start at the beginning, just a little bit, and learn how to literally and figuratively reposition yourself for living healthy and active again, let’s chat. Our next class starts soon. With Hugs and Chamomile, Paula Have you ever felt the slow, disorienting fall? Sure, I’ve missed a step, stumbled, tumbled, crashed, and just plain dropped. But that one time, on a street corner, it was very different. I had food bags in both hands, I was contemplating how I was going to reach my keys when I got to the parking lot, and I stepped into a handicap ramp on a corner. It was early spring, a beautiful day, and the restaurant across the street had an outdoor deck full of diners. A winter’s worth of plowing had deposited a good layer of tiny gravel and glass shards on the ramp, and I put my foot down. It just didn’t stay there. As I started to slide my mind shattered into about a dozen pieces:
What’s the point?
Simply, that one day you may also find yourself on unstable footing, unlike anything else you’ve ever experienced before, and in need of grounding, direction, or even adaptation. Sometimes it’s something physical that changes you dramatically. Sometimes is your perception or acceptance of what's “normal” or “reality”. Whatever it is, it can shake you up and make you lose your senses. And I get it. I can help. I’m stepping into the space of working on our physical foundations, literally and figuratively. Whether you’re trying to avoid, recover from, or adjust to your own slide in the gravel, we’ll get you settled first, see what’s what, and build a framework to help you work in the strengthening and supporting practices I give you- like scaffolding. You're not alone. In the midst of these uncertain times, we’re “All in the same boat, but not all in the same storm.” I wish I could remember who wrote those words, because the sentiment seems to perfectly encapsulate how differently everyone is experiencing the Covid-19 crisis. Personally I am alternating between fear and anxiety (which drives me to excessive production as a way to deflect the unknown) and acknowledging my decades of fatigue and exhaustion already brought on by excess productivity (which calls me to rest and contemplate and dream). As a result of these two states, I’m having bouts of insight that I’m moved to record here for the future shape of my work. However, I don’t want you to think that I am suggesting you should use this time to be, do, or change anything that doesn’t feel appropriate for you now. Even I can’t do that, and these are my thoughts. Just know that in the After Times, these posts will form the foundation of how I want to effect change in the world. Do what you can for yourself now. You too? Here's 2 stretches that are part of the Release & Relief program that can help ease your tech neck. Read more about the R&R program or reach out if you have questions! In the midst of these uncertain times, we’re “All in the same boat, but not all in the same storm.” I wish I could remember who wrote those words, because the sentiment seems to perfectly encapsulate how differently everyone is experiencing the Covid-19 crisis. Personally I am alternating between fear and anxiety (which drives me to excessive production as a way to deflect the unknown) and acknowledging my decades of fatigue and exhaustion already brought on by excess productivity (which calls me to rest and contemplate and dream). As a result of these two states, I’m having bouts of insight that I’m moved to record here for the future shape of my work. However, I don’t want you to think that I am suggesting you should use this time to be, do, or change anything that doesn’t feel appropriate for you now. Even I can’t do that, and these are my thoughts. Just know that in the After Times, these posts will form the foundation of how I want to effect change in the world. Do what you can for yourself now. For so many years, Pilates and Herbal Medicine have been my 2 separate lives. At first I was overwhelmed with my pilates studio situation, and when that changed it was a relief but I no longer had the independence to be creative. I couldn't break down the gate between these two wellness approaches. My entire pilates career, I’ve been hearing about how surprisingly great pilates clients felt once they got into their practice. At the same time, I’ve been hearing about how amazed herbal clients were that simple plants could change their digestive system, stress responses, mental focus, ability to heal, and more. Now, as I write this, it’s day 16 of my own coronavirus shut down. I’ve only seen my pilates machines maybe twice, while I was picking up some items to try and make workout-at-home videos. And I’ve been seriously contemplating the overlap of movement medicine and herbal medicine. Here’s what I believe: It’s all inputs. Nothing we take in or do “makes up” for past inputs. No amount of exercise “makes up” for sitting most of the day, or eating anything, or dwelling in spite or anger. I don’t believe there’s any subtraction or division or past- there’s only addition, or multiplication, and future. This is what my experience has taught me.
Maybe it's not a good time to introduce a new program. People are stressed. We're experiencing collective anxiety, fear, and trauma. Our routines have been trashed, our freedoms curtailed, our very ability to move restricted.
Maybe it's the perfect time to introduce a new program. Avoidance coping mechanisms mean we spend all day at the computer, or on the couch. Learning how to exercise in our living rooms and basements via Zoom and YouTube leads to unaccustomed tweaks and soreness. So many people adopting the WFH lifestyle are unprepared for the amounts of time they'll spend in a different chair, at a different desk, without the support and customs of their "normal" day in place. I don't know. Maybe it's both. The very fact that we're not supposed to leave our homes means that we should be deliberately trying to move more in them. The very stress we're sinking under has a multitude of outlets in Adaptogens, herbs that help us adapt to stressful environments. The very virus we're threatened with requires us all to look after our immune systems, one of many systems that traditions like Herbalism are very well prepared to build and support. So maybe this isn't for you. Instead, it might be perfect for someone you know. Or it is perfect for you, but there's just too much "I can't even right now" for you to focus. All that is fine. Here's all the details about my new online program that combines movement, herbal medicine supports, private coaching, and small-group learning. I'm calling it Release and Relief: Back and Pelvic Pain Edition You're invited to join, share, or ignore- whatever fits you best. In the midst of these uncertain times, we’re “All in the same boat, but not all in the same storm.” I wish I could remember who wrote those words, because the sentiment seems to perfectly encapsulate how differently everyone is experiencing the Covid-19 crisis. Personally I am alternating between fear and anxiety (which drives me to excessive production as a way to deflect the unknown) and acknowledging my decades of fatigue and exhaustion already brought on by excess productivity (which calls me to rest and contemplate and dream). As a result of these two states, I’m having bouts of insight that I’m moved to record here for the future shape of my work. However, I don’t want you to think that I am suggesting you should use this time to be, do, or change anything that doesn’t feel appropriate for you now. Even I can’t do that, and these are my thoughts. Just know that in the After Times, these posts will form the foundation of how I want to effect change in the world. Do what you can for yourself now. Aren’t these Grape Hyacinth cute? They’re tiny too, just a couple inches high. If you wanted to, could you get your face all the way down to the ground to find out if they’re fragrant? There’s 2 parts to that question- whether you have the mobility to get your face that close to the surface of the Earth without having fallen on it, and also whether your clothes allow for that much movement. Both can be improved upon! The first is something I can help you with. The second is something you choose. Let’s think about the clothes for a second. I went to the Mutter Museum and looked in horror at the misshapen skeleton of a corseted woman. It’s incredible that anyone would have accepted that as not only fashion but proper and essential. But then I thought about today’s fashion. I am not generally considered fashionable- tasteful, maybe, and sometimes even matching, but certainly not a trend-follower. And yet I own jeans I have to unbutton when I drive. I own boots that could break an ankle, or in fact one pair that could prevent an ankle break they’re so stiff. (They’re the ones that messed up my knee.) I own underwire bras, and too-small underwear, and narrow-shouldered button-down shirts. Clothes that restrict movement are called body casts. That name makes sense, since they hold us back like a medical cast or splint would. And you know what- I love some of them. Those break-an-ankle boots are gorgeous. I traded an entire pilates training package for them years ago, they’re knee high stretch suede by a real designer, and heeled. Amazing. But. I rarely wear them. The concern is really for when we wear our body casts day in and day out. When we train our bodies to lose mobility and support structures, or even damage circulation and lymphatic drainage. What good is, say, getting out in the garden if your pants cut off your lower body blood flow and your bra won’t let you take a deep breath? It’s not like torture, it IS torture! What would it take to allow yourself the freedom to completely move, to have full Range of Motion, at least most of the time? Sure there are special occasions, but what would your life be like if your Usual Occasions gave you access to more movement? Movement is medicine too.
If you’re not sure what you’d even do with more range, then let me introduce you to the Release and Relief online coaching program. We’re learning to release long-held buttresses that have been holding you up while the rest of you couldn’t, and to move with newly aligned muscles. There’s also herbal supports built in, because that stress and GI inflammation isn’t doing your back pain any favors, for example. If you have made the transition into moveable clothing, what has it been like? There are all kinds of Herbal Medicine makers out there. Let's support them! This is NOT an exhaustive list, and I will be adding to it. Please send your recommendations or drop them in the comments below. Donation RequestsHigh Garden Tea- their Memphis TN shop was completely destroyed by a tornado in early March 2020
The Botanical Bus- a bilingual mobile herb clinic in CA Bay Herbalism- a free holistic and mobile health clinic in Sonoma County CA Commonweath Herbs Free Clinic- in Brookline MA Rootwork Herbals' People's Medicine Project- provides BIPOC a safe, experiential education in working with common plants to help heal themselves and their communities |
Fun Fact: I'm an herbalist and a movement coach. Not a doctor, or a pharmacist, and not pretending to be one on TV.
This is a public space, so my writing reflects my experiences and I try to stay general enough so it might relate to you. This does not constitute medical advice, and I encourage you to discuss concerns with your doctor. Remember, however, that the final say in your wellness decisions are always yours- you have the power to choose, you are the boss of you. And, some of my posts may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them I'll earn a few cents. Thank you for supporting my work. This website is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is not medical, mental health or healthcare advice. The information presented here is not intended to diagnose, treat, heal, cure or prevent any illness, medical condition or mental or emotional condition. Working with us is not a guarantee of any results. Paula Billig owns all copyrights to the materials presented here unless otherwise noted. Categories
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