Women, steam your body…
Gwyneth Paltrow has posted on her GOOP website that she regularly steam cleans her vagina. Yes, you read that right. She also encourages other women to do this as well. Let that sink in a minute.
The steam treatment is done at the Tikkun Spa in Santa Monica. It utilizes the herb Mugwort, a popular herb in Asian medicine. It is believed to help cleanse the body, increase your energy, help with stomach pain, stabilize periods and possibly improve mental health. Treatments for private parts have been around for 1,500 years and were used on Chinese emperors.
However, doctors and medical experts warn against the steam treatment. Dr. Amos Grunebaum, OB-GYN?at New York Presbyterian Hospital stated:
?I would never tell anybody to do this because the potential risks are much higher than the potential benefits.?
He later said that women have gone on to die after having this treatment done.
Steam, which enters the uterus, could potentially travel into the fallopian tubes. This could result in a miscarriage if the woman is pregnant. Steam could also potentially enter the abdominal cavity and make the person sick. On the website for the Tikkun Spa, it states that the FDA has not evaluated the treatment.
Dr. Jen Gunter, ob-gyn specialist of vulvovaginal disorders shared:?
?If you want to feel relaxed get a good massage-if you want to relax your vagina, have an orgasm…Mugwort or wormwood..can’t possibly balance any reproductive hormones, regulate your menstrual cycle, treat depression, or cure infertility.?
The cost of the steam is thirty minutes for fifty dollars or a series of five for two hundred dollars. That seems like a lot to me for hot air. The Tikkun Spa does list the treatment as having the following benefits:
According to the Tikkun Spa, the medicinal properties of the V Steam? are:
- Stimulates the production of hormones to maintain uterine health
- Protects the uterus from ulcers and tumors
- Soothes while strengthening the nervous system
- Stimulates menstrual discharges and the production of milk
- Aids in restarting regular menstrual cycles
- Eases fatigue, headaches, abdominal discomfort and nausea
- Lessens the effects of renal calculi, rheumatism, arthritis and gout
- Helps fight infections
- Kills intestinal worms
- Helps correct digestive disorders
- Warms the body
As with any new celebrity endorsed treatment or product, one has to be cautious when considering them. I am sure some people will have this done because Gwyneth Paltrow has endorsed it. For everyone considering any new medical treatment or medicine, discuss it with your doctor or ob-gyn first. Educate yourself about the risks and benefits. Just because something claims to be organic or natural doesn’t necessarily mean it is always the safest. Bring on the orgasm! They are cheaper and much more fun!
