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Note on Natural and Non-T oxic Fertility Management The Jocelyn Centre in Sydney, NSW, provides programs focusing on natural choices in conscious conception, contra- ception, and overcoming fertility problems. The Centre pro- vides personal consultations, mail order services, and profes- sional training for health professionals in Natural Fertility Management techniques. In addition, the Centre has put together a comprehensive Natural Fertility Management kit comprising Francesca Naish's book, Natural Fertility, an audiotape and manual, sympto-ther- mal charts, basal thermometer, a lunar chart and more, to inform women on how to achieve or avoid conception. For further information about their services, training and products, contact: The Jocelyn Centre, 1/46 Grosvenor Street, Woollahra, NSW 2025, Australia, telephone +61 (0)2 9369 2047, or fax +61 (0)2 9369 5179. male sexual interest and behaviour. Women who take birth con- trol pills, however, do not secrete copulins.” The great cycles and rhythms of Nature are among the most fundamental realities of physical life. A woman's body and psy- che are intimately woven into the eternal cycles of Life. We are just beginning to realise the price we have paid for being part of a culturJe where fast food, fast cures and fast sex predominate. Certainly the long-term effects of the Pill, in whatever form it comes, are still to be fully determined—not to mention the effects the Pill may have on future generations. Is this form of contra- ception worth the price that women must pay in terms of their physical, emotional and mental health? As women move into a greater acceptance and expression of their innate power, so too must they regain authority over their reproductive cycles. As women move into a greater acceptance and expression of their innate power, so too must they regain authority over their reproductive cycles. About the Author: Sherrill Sellman runs a private psychotherapy practice in Melbourne, Australia, where she resides. She lectures exten- sively on women's hormonal health and is a contributing writer to publications in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United States and Germany. She is also the author of the best-selling book, Hormone Heresy: What Women Must Know About Their Hormones. In September 1997, Sherrill will be giving a series of lectures in Queensland and South Australia. For more information, contact Light Unlimited Productions (see details on first page of his article). Endnotes 34. Seaman, Barbara, The Doctors' Case Against the Pill, Hunter House, USA, 1995, p. 188. 35. Grant, Ellen, MD, Sexual Chemistry, Reed Consumer Books, UK, 1994, pp. 38-39. 36. Seaman, op. cit., p. 118. 37. Grant, ibid., p. 60. 38. "Boston Collaborative Drug Surveillance Programme", The Lancet, 1973, p. 1399. 39. Irey, N.S., Manion, W.C., Taylor, H.B., "Vascular lesions in women taking oral contraceptives", Archives of Pathology 89(1), 1970. 40. Olsterholzer, H.O. et al., "The effects of oral contraceptive steroids on branches of the uterine artery", Obstetrics and Gynecology 49(2):227, 1977. 41. Seaman, op. cit., p. 75. 42. Grant, op. cit., p. 70. 43. Graham, A., Grieve, F., Davie, Glasier A., The Lancet 346:1430, 1995 (Letter). 44. Wilks, John, A Consumer's Guide to the Pill and Other Drugs, Freedom Publishing Company, Australia, 1996, p. 77. 45. Seaman, op. cit., p. 218. 46. op. cit., p. 219. 47. Cooke H., "Mother of tragic Pill girl to sue", Daily Express, UK, 27 March 1996, p. 4. 48. Grant, op. cit., p. 12. 49. op. cit., p. 30. 50. ibid. 51. op. cit., p. 34. 52. Naish, Francesca, Natural Fertility, Sally Milner Publications, NSW, Australia, 1991 p. 17. 53. op. cit., pp. 14-16. 54. Wilks, op. cit., p. 80. 55. op. cit., p. 79. 56. Seaman, op. cit., p. 213. 57. op. cit., p. 231. 58. op. cit., p. 232. 59. Northrup, Christiane, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, Bantam, New York, 1994. 60. Michael R. et al., "Human Secretion and Volatile Fatty Acid Content", Science 186:1217-19, 1974. ALTERNATIVES TO THE PILL Most women will ask, "Well, just what are the natural alterna- tives to the Pill?" The answer to that question requires a woman to make a deeper commitment to the understanding of the workings of her body and her natural cycles. It's about learning the various indications of fertile and non-fertile times. Owning one's fertility means to have an intimate relationship with one's own body. It requires taking responsibility for sexual intercourse. It also requires the ability to communicate with an understanding and receptive partner. It is certainly a totally different approach from the way most women address the issue of contraception and, for that matter, sexual relationships. As women move into a greater acceptance and expression of their innate power, so too must they regain authority over their reproductive cycles. An excellent way for women to regain knowledge of natural fertility techniques is through such books as Natural Fertility by Francesca Naish. By learning all the signs that indicate fertile times, such as basal temperature, lunar cycles, mucus indicators, etc., a woman is ensured of up to a 98.5 per cent safe way to pre- vent conception. Barrier methods such as diaphragms, condoms and spermicides (with low-level chemical toxicity) are other alter- native forms of contraceptives that are highly effective as well as providing protection from sexually transmitted diseases. It is becoming evident that the Pill no longer serves the empow- erment of women. The Pill has extracted a great price from women and continues to do so. It sounds a death knell—if not the death of a woman's body, then surely the death of her spirit. It seriously compromises her health and her life. It is only by once again embracing the wisdom of Nature—nat- ural medicines, natural foods and natural rhythms—that women will find their wholeness and, ultimately, themselves. Successful and healthy contraception and conception are a part of a woman's initiation into her own mystery which has been denied to her for far too long. A vibrant, healthy, intuitive woman is an unstoppable force for positive change on this planet. oo 26 - NEXUS AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1997