A Feminine Approach to Health

It’s an exciting time for women right now, as we move into what is seeming to be the third wave of feminism. A high point of this being seeing the first female VP being elected to office in the USA. 

In honour of International Women’s Day. coming up on Monday, I wanted to drop into the feminine, the gifts of the feminine, and how this relates to medicine and our medical system. 

Now, to clarify, I am speaking here in terms of ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ energy-- Yin and yang-- something we all embody and animate regardless of our physical sex or gender. 

These are qualities that we can observe reflected in the world around us, and in the systems and institutions, we have created. 

The qualities of the feminine include compassion, nurturing, flow, openness, intuition, and creativity. 

The qualities of the masculine include focus, decisiveness, leadership, logic, action, confidence and efficiency. 

How this Relates to Medicine

Our current system, much like many systems created through patriarchy, is proving to be ineffective on its own.

It is out of balance between these two types of energy, and it isn’t really working.

Many Canadians are in worse health than ever, with obesity-related issues, heart disease, and many chronic health issues on the rise. 

Our conventional medical system can be rooted in the masculine. It is often focused, and hones in on a symptom, and it provides a solution for the ‘problem’ (ie. prescription, procedure, etc) to alleviate or ‘solve’ the problem. 

However, because this masculine approach is so focused, it doesn’t often look at the bigger picture. It doesn’t often look at the body holistically, as a whole system to determine and correct the root cause of the symptom, which leaves many people overly medicated, and unwell. 

This approach is, of course,  extremely valuable. It saves lives every day and is especially effective when it comes to acute problems such as a broken bone, severe infection, heart attack or stroke, etc.

However, this system is failing to manage chronic health issues effectively and this is an area where Naturopathic and Eastern Medicines excel. 

These types of medicine are more rooted in the feminine. They rest in qualities that are holistic, nurturing, and collaborative. 

They examine the body as a whole, including all areas of health, including the emotional and mental, as a part of the body’s wellness and focus on changes in lifestyle, diet, and other habits in addition to other methods of treatment.

These approaches which are labelled ‘alternative’ are actually a lot more balanced. 

Finding Balance

Creating a system that works with the best of both of these approaches is the way forward for a truly effective medical system. One is not ‘better’ or ‘worse’ than the other, they are just different and that differentness is what makes the system stronger as a whole. 

For us to be able to recognize where the qualities of one are more appropriate than the other and seek the highest wisdom and knowledge each has to offer. To take what works well from both and create a new system, and a new world. 

We don’t need to leave the patriarchy and begin a matriarchy, we need balance.