As one of the top neurosurgeons in the country, Dr Charlie Teo seems to be unflappable. So it might have come as a surprise to some viewers to see the doctor of almost 40 years squirm at the sight of one small jar of blood.
In episode one of SBS program Medicine or Myth? Dr Teo and fellow medical experts Dr Ginni Mansberg and Associate Professor Ashraful Haque meet 26-year-old Yazmina, who claims she has a solution to relieve period pain which involves menstrual blood and a meditation ritual.
“This is not a prop, this is actually my real blood from this cycle,” Yazmina, holding up a jar of blood, tells the clearly uncomfortable experts.
“I’m still a bit shocked, I’m sorry,” Dr Teo says before asking Dr Mansberg to lead the questions.
As Yazmina dips her finger into the vial of blood, Dr Teo grimaces and covers his face with his hands. Claiming to have learned about the healing effect from a “shamanic womb woman” Yazmina believes that touching the blood while performing a meditation ritual had a healing effect and taught her “I don’t need to feel shameful about this anymore.”
When Dr Mansberg calls out her two male colleagues for being freaked out at the sight of period blood, Dr Teo admits, “I freaked out, but I understand the spiritual collection, what I don’t understand is that the act of collecting them got rid of the symptoms of a painful period.”
While Yazmina’s remedy wasn’t scientifically sound enough to go to clinical trial for testing, it did seem to open Dr Teo’s mind.
“I have four daughters and having experienced and lived with people who get periods I must say there isn’t anything positive about it so to embrace it like Yazmina has and to almost worship it and connect with it, I can see how it has a very holistic effect on your femininity and your spirituality.”
This program provides general information only and does not recommend or endorse any particular treatment. It is not intended to replace the advice provided by your own doctor or medical or health professional.
Are alternative remedies simply a myth or do they have a place alongside modern medicine? Medicine or Myth? follows everyday Australians as they pitch their diverse and sometimes divisive health remedies to a panel of medical experts, led by Dr Charlie Teo, in the hope of being selected for a real-world trial.
#MedicineorMyth, an eight-week series, airs every Monday at 8.30 pm on SBS, or catch up anytime on SBS On Demand.
