Early weaning dangers
Posted by: "Shirish Bhate" shirishbhate@yahoo.com shirishbhate
Date: Wed Jun 4, 2008 1:38 am ((PDT)

Author would like to reproduce two paragraphs from one of his old message at other list:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ayurvedaonline/message/9777

Living in tune with nature is protective against the female cancers. The average mom today chooses to give birth to about two infants. On the other hand, even today, tribal women in the natural setting start menstruation and ovulation at age 12 and deliver a number of babies and breast-fed them all. When they breastfeed, many feed up to five or more years. Pregnancy stops the reproductive hormone cycles (that generate estrogen) since there is room in the uterus for only one pregnancy. Nursing also stops the cycle because the body "knows" that lactation and caring for an infant is about all one body can endure.

Thus the modern woman with two children would reproductively cycle and ovulate more than 400 times during her lifetime. On the other hand, the combination of more numerous pregnancies along with extended breast-feeding would have decreased the number of ovulations and cycles that a primitive mother would have had to less than 50. The cycling through menstrual periods an abnormal number of times, causing repeated surges of estrogen--about eight times more than nature intended, when coupled with the lack of adequate exercise, yoga, pranayama; how would one expect body to provide so much bioenergy needed for ovulations? Little wonder that estrogen sensitive cancers abound in our modern world. And ovaries get tired, so periods limp, or become weak and scanty. Most of such cycles are an-ovulatory. This makes conception most difficult. This phenomenon is  similar to men facing fertility problems as a result of excess sex, masturbation  etc. Increase in prostate cancers is also an indications of our modern  lifestyle driven situation.

While a child needs all round nutrition for growth, author does not  agree with the opinion that woman and baby has to suffer if  breastfeed is continued.

Tribal communities are an interesting sample for study. They do not  show any vata vitiation (symptoms of rasakshaya) unless they have  crossed seventies by which time breastfeeding has already stopped  long ago. Many of anti-vata herbs and home remedies can be learnt  from Tribal's. Pankaj Oudhia, a well known researcher on herbs has  written at least 10,000 pages about herbal practice by traditional  healers of Chhatisgarh, India.

If a woman denies her biological role of feeding the baby for longest  possible time, she has to suffer later. Unwritten law of evolution is  that we loose the capability which we do not use adequately.

It is interesting to find that changing over from predominantly  agricultural to sedentary lifestyle in metrohas caused so much  change in our philosophies!