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Period Pains

A BLESSING NOT A CURSE

One of my patients came to see me years ago because she HATED everything about having her periods: she was always surprised when they arrived, she had pain, she bloated, she bled too heavily, “they” got in the way of doing what she wanted (like sports or a hot date) and lately she had begun to have Pre Menstrual Syndrome of the murderous kind.

So, we started a course of detoxification to clean her system to prevent inflammation of the uterus, she increased her fibre intake and her intake of calcium, that took care of the pain. She ate a little more red meat, which increase her iron intake and so she stopped bleeding so heavily. She was pretty much a perfect patient, all her physical symptoms disappeared but she still got very cranky when she started bleeding.

We had to look beyond the physical. It turns out this woman’s parents had kept on telling her how disappointed they were she wasn’t a boy. All her childhood she thought she would turn into a boy, when she had her periods this was the end of the dream and so she remained angry about being a girl.

No amount of Raspberry leaf tea or Evening Primrose oil can possibly shift this problem. So she started making friends with her uterus by realising how wonderful it was to be a woman: she had two lovely kids and loved being a mum; she also a career in which being a woman was a definite advantage. She realised that she actually bled every new moon; this made her feel like she was directly connected to Mother Nature Herself. She learned to do things around her periods rather than against them: if she rested before and during her periods, she was full of energy afterwards.

From thereon she never, ever had a problem with her periods. When the menopause came she had no physical problems because her health was so good but she became very sad because she felt she was no longer part of a wonderful cycle.

Most people tend to think of menstruation as a nuisance, this is why many people call it “the curse”. But it does not have to be this way. Like my patient, if you learn to be friends with your womanly body and its womanly function and you care for it, you will also experience it as a wonderful cycle of renewal and regeneration. A blessing, not a curse.

MORE GAIN WITHOUT PAIN

Do you double up in pain every time you have a period? Do you dread it as “the curse” because you find that at least one day in every month you are going to be and feel totally handicapped? Have you been told that this is the way it is and just get used to it and reach for the painkiller?

Well, it just does not have to be this way. Menstruation is a NORMAL body process and as such it should not cause pain. If you had pain every time you ate or went to the loo, you would think something was wrong wouldn’t you? Well, it is the same with period pain: just because a lot of people suffer from it, it does not mean this is the way nature intended it. Period pain may be common but it is not normal. (By the way, if you have period pain, this does not mean that you are not normal, it’s just the pain that isn’t.)

WHY IS IT SO?

Most of the time period pain is caused by an underlaying toxic condition. Something as simple (and common) as constipation causes a lot of endotoxins to be released more or less permanently in the system and thus causes inflammation in the delicate tissues of the uterus.

Lack of uterine tone also causes pain because the uterus cannot squeeze the lining out easily, so it has to cramp to do so.

Therefore what we need to do is: clean up and tone up. Easy!

Techniques to Prevent Pain

MAKE SURE YOU DO NOT BUILD UP TOXINS IN YOUR SYSTEM:

Eat lots of fibre to keep regular: such as whole grains, fresh fruit and veges.

Add oil to your salads

Avoid excess sugary foods, cakes, lollies, jams, and chocolate because they cause inflammation of the bowels and constipation, especially the week before your period.

Avoid smoking (smokers statistically suffer more gynaecological problems than non-smokers).

Cut down alcohol because of its inflammatory effect.

TO TONE UP YOUR SYSTEM:

Raspberry Leaf tea is THE tea to tone the uterine muscle. It will also lighten the flow, so if you suffer from heavy bleeding (with or without cramps), this is the tea to drink: one cup daily taken for at least two weeks before your periods (with or without honey/lemon juice). There is no point in drinking litres madly once the pain has started: this is not a drug, you need to take it regularly to tone the uterus.

Avoid drinking cold drinks (straight from the fridge) for a week before and during your period. They cause the blood vessels to contract, proper blood flow is impaired and the uterus has to cramp to re-establish proper blood flow.

Increase your calcium intake. Calcium is the mineral that allows muscles to expand and contract, a lack of calcium will cause cramping. The best source of calcium is yoghurt; cheese is also good but if it makes you constipated then we are back to square one. Women who exercise a lot actually need more calcium because of the ‘calcium expenditure’ caused by excessive exercise. So if you go to the gym more than once a week and if you exercise ‘hard’ then you need to take supplementary calcium daily for a week prior to your periods and one week after (500mg a day with its mate Magnesium: 250mg a day).

Avoid chocolate: chocolate neutralises calcium, so a hot chocolate milk will definitely not help.

Have a routine of gentle exercises, which improve blood flow and calcium metabolism, such as yoga, stretching, tai chi, walking, swimming.

For all the Xenas out there, if you must weight lift/ kick box/ triathlon/ paint ball… avoid doing these things the week prior to and during your periods. I know that tampon commercials tell you that girls just want to have fun; but the truth is during menstruation the body is concentrating on that most important of smooth muscles: the uterus. If you spend your energy on the striated skeletal muscles, the work to the uterus is short-circuited and OUCH!

Breathe deeply: practicing deep abdominal breathing daily not only helps you relax but improves blood flow to the reproductive organs.

A few sessions of acupuncture often work wonders. But for a lasting result, they must be backed by dietary and lifestyle changes.

Techniques to Relieve Pain

All the above techniques will take a couple of cycles before you can be period pain-free, meanwhile here are a few tips:

A lot of people know about placing a hot water bottle on their abdomen; however, it often works better to place it on your lower back because this is where the nerves that control the reproductive system originate.

For this reason, it is also good to massage the lower back, even before massaging the belly. Use a few drops of clove oil or ginger oil in warm (not hot) olive oil.

The best teas to sip are: chamomile, ginger, catnip (also called catmint); add a little honey or preferably molasses (which are rich in calcium). You can also add a tablespoon of rum or brandy, in such a small dose it helps relax the uterus.

Use pads instead of tampons, as tampons cause toxicity in some women.

Remember, menstruation is a wonderful way in which nature shows its cyclical nature. Make friends with your womb, treat yourself well and it will be a blessing rather than a curse.

For a personalised treatment please contact me here.

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