Dr. Christiane Northrup: Healing the Little Girl in YOU!

I remember one patient of mine, Deena, whose father was a pedophile. Her mother (who protected the father) used to screen Deena’s playmates so that she would not bring home a little friend with a body type that Deena’s father was attracted to. This gave my patient the idea that it was a girl’s fault if she were used sexually.

And then, of course, there are the millions of little girls who are aborted in favor of boys in countries like India that actually use mobile ultrasound units in remote villages to determine the sex of the baby. Boys are favored. When girls are born, they are fed less, given less medical care, and offered a lesser education. Favoring boys over girls—or in broader terms, favoring that which is masculine at the expense of that which is feminine—has been an aspect of most societies for the last 5,000 years or so. Riane Eisler calls such societies Dominator societies. The social organization that discredits girls has also been called Patriarchy—the Rule of the Fathers.

No matter what you call it, it is crystal clear that many, many little girls grow up with the idea that something is wrong with their bodies.

I have spent a lifetime addressing the healthcare needs of women and girls. And let me be very clear: Most of the health problems that women have are directly and profoundly related to their sense of self and the preciousness of their bodies. If their initial experience of being a girl was positive, their health (and their immunity) will be good. If they grew up feeling something was lacking, then they are apt to develop physical, emotional, or spiritual issues down the road. I have personally struggled with this Mack truck/fireplug body image my entire life. It wasn’t until midlife that I finally began to feel good about my body.