Listen in as expert Kirsten Karchmer discusses how to help girls better understand their periods & how to better manage them; BTW, boys need this education too
Show Notes:
Guest: Kirsten Karchmer: Kirsten is an Integrative medicine practitioner and researcher with extensive experience in biomedical sciences, functional medicine, nutrition and digital health, and mechanisms of mind-body healing; Kirsten has spent her entire adult career in the service of women’s health and has helped over 10,000 women over the last 20 years to improve their health, cycles, and fertility
Dispelling myths about menstration
More than 82% of women report significant and life interrupting menstrual pain; nearly every person with a period thinks that suffering with your period is normal. They don’t really believe that anything can change that, and that suffering is the lot that you must bear as women and menstruators.
Most symptoms are correctable
During her more than twenty years of research and treating thousands of patients, Karchmer found that most period problems women experience—even the most painful ones—are totally correctable and more surprisingly reflective of overall health and fertility
PMS, cramping, bloating, migraines, irritability, and anxiety may be extremely common, but contrary to popular belief, they aren’t normal. And they certainly aren’t “just part of being a woman”
Making it safe to have conversations about periods
Shame and ignorance surround women’s periods; girls often don’t feel safe talking about them with their parents or even their friends
We discussed the way parents can make it safe for girls to talk about their periods starting in early childhood; make it a topic that has no energy or shame around it, have dad be nurturing to mom when she is on her period, openly display tampons etc.
Boys need education too
Boys need to be educated about why periods are healthy and an important part of being a woman; they also need to be empowered to stand up for girls if their friends are ridiculing them about their periods
Contact guest: www.foreverbrazen.com/pages/conceivablescore
kirsten.karchmer@foreverbrazen.com
Her new book Seeing Red from Simon and Schuster, breaks down old myths, discusses the importance of a healthy menstrual cycle and how to achieve it.
Kristen has a Tiktok community of a quarter of a million daughters who come on her live show and chat with Kirsten about their concerns about puberty & periods
Contact host Dr. Jordan: www.drtimjordan.com
If you’d like more info on how to create a safe environment so that girls will share more with you, click on this link to sign up for Dr. Jordan’s online course, Parenting girls: The challenges girls face today with their feelings and friends and what they need