despre o zina care face parte din mobilobiblioteca fia [vom actualiza pagina in curind – o versiune mai recenta a catalogului se gaseste pe site-ul bibliotecii alternative, unde poposeste momentan mobilobiblioteca! UPDATE 19.07.2010: catalog actualizat]:

Hot Pantz begins with the sentence, “Patriarchy sucks,” and goes on to say:

It’s robbed us of our autonomy and much of our history. We believe that it’s integral for women to be aware and in control of our own bodies. The recipes we present here have been known for centuries, passed down from mother to daughter, and have survived the censorship of the witch hunts. Our intent is simple and practical: to help break away from the medical establishment’s tentacular grip on our bodies and our approaches to health and healing.

Hot Pantz provides readers with an understanding of anatomy, recipes to conquer yeast infections and hormonal imbalances, an extensive glossary of self-healing herbs, a list of aphrodisiacs, and it provides instructions on how to give foot massages that will alleviate cramps! …

Herbs predate history; women have been using herbs to treat cramps and bring on their menses for a long time. It’s no secret that natural medicine has been swept under the rug because of the pharmaceutical industry … While medical advancements have certainly provided more access to birth control and hormone therapy than ever before, I have a hard time believing the multi-billion dollar industry that creates these hormonal drugs is super concerned about women’s health. While we have access to these drugs, we do not have control over what goes into them, and pharmaceutical companies are not required to tell us. …

Perhaps part of the reason we talk so little about herbs is because we don’t want to knock drugs that have gone hand-in-hand with women’s liberation. In a recent interview with Bitch, Laura Eldridge (author of In Our Control: The Complete Guide to Contraceptive Choices for Women) spoke of how it is difficult to think critically of the Pill, especially as “acceptance of the Pill was an integral part of second wave feminism and as such allowed for many of the gains women have made.” It is indeed difficult to be critical of the Pill. It is also difficult to be taken seriously while talking about and promoting the use of herbs.

Hot Pantz makes it very clear that the zine is not intended to provide diagnosis or prescriptions. The zine is “an informative guide to help you better understand your body and your health”. They also make sure to state that if you are in doubt, you should not hesitate “to consult an herbal practitioner, naturopath, physician or gynecologist.” I also want to make it clear that I am not against the use of pharmaceuticals. They work for a lot of people. However, I do have a problem with the lack of transparency within the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical industry that makes decisions about what is going to be available for women to put into their bodies. And I do think that herbal remedies should be more widely available and considered more seriously.

From the Bitch Library: Hot Pantz: Do It Yourself Gynecology