wisewords
Finding More Pleasure in Life
A Conversation with Dr. Christiane Northrup
by Ellen Mahoney
C
hristiane Northrup, a respected obstetrician/gynecologist and visionary in women’s health
and wellness, is renowned for the practical medical and emotional counsel she generously shares in her many bestselling books. Among her best known are Women’s Bodies,
Women’s Wisdom and Mother-
Daughter Wisdom. Now Northrup is focused on another aspect of women’s
health in The Secret Pleasures of
Menopause. The idea is to help women of all ages achieve vibrant health by tapping into their inner wisdom in order to experience joy and fulfi llment throughout life.
Why do you believe the pursuit of pleasure is just as vital for a vibrant life as a healthy diet and exercise?
You will not stick to a healthy diet and exercise plan unless you fi nd pleasure in the pursuit of it. You must come to this by yourself and discover that the moment-to-moment way you live your life has to be pleasurable, because there’s not a happy ending to an unhappy journey. For years, I’ve watched people foregoing various foods to look a certain way; I see people who have perfect bodies, but absolutely no joy or life force shining behind their eyes. The joy and pleasure have to come fi rst; then the lifestyle supports this.
40 Central Florida
We consider a narrow waist beautiful because it is generally healthy. Too much belly fat is un- healthy, because it produces an abnormal hormonal milieu and can
lead to an earlier death from cancer, heart disease and/or diabetes. You have to exercise your body and eat well on a sustainable basis to look healthy— there’s just no way around it. The more you take care of yourself, the more pleasure you experience.
How do we enhance our pleasure in life at any age?
One of the biggest keys to enhancing your pleasure is to pay attention to what feels good. This is your vital guiding factor. Simple things, like enjoying a bouquet of fl owers, are important. Pleasure begins with awakening the senses. I also recommend that you start to appreciate your skin, as well as the other parts of your body that serve you well. One of my older patients told me, “I’m no longer concerned with how my legs look. What I love is that when I get up in the morning, my knees work.” I hold the position that pleasure and happiness are actually the only things that work for us and are sustainable.
What is the relationship of pleasure to the health-enhancing effects of nitric oxide?
Nitric oxide is an odorless, colorless gas that’s produced by the lining of every blood vessel in the body. It passes through cell walls
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