Natural Ways To Help With Period Pain

How To Get Rid Of Period Cramps: 20 Natural Remedies To Ease The Pain

Women are born with a strong spirit inside. You may look vulnerable and fragile outside with your gentle voice and angelic face but inside you are like a brave tigress.

Women have bodies that can regenerate and have high pain tolerance. In fact, some women endure labor pains for almost eight to ten hours.

Giving birth can be more painful. In the past, they give birth naturally, without injecting any pain medication. Womanhood is not only about having your breasts and vagina.

It is about loving your body, your period and getting along with your cramps. Are you looking for remedies on how to get rid of period cramps?

This article will show you the 20 effective natural remedies to help ease the pain of your cramps, without using medicine.

But first, let’s discuss it what causes your cramps.

Herbs To Relieve Menstrual Cramps

Menstrual cramps, also called dysmenorrhea, are cramping aches and pains that typically affect the lower abdomen but may also radiate to the lower back and thighs.

Thought to be caused by excess levels of prostaglandins , menstrual cramps often occur just before and during the first few days of the menstrual period. Some people also experience loose stools, headaches, nausea, or dizziness.

For many people, menstrual cramps occur without an underlying health condition . But if you’re experiencing regular or severe cramping, consult your healthcare provider to see if you’re suffering from an underlying health issue that might be causing the pain .

So far, scientific support for the claim that any remedy can treat menstrual cramps is limited.

Here’s a look at four kinds of herbal medicine that are sometimes recommended by alternative medicine practitioners.

Can You Heal Menstrual Cramps With Home Remedies

Most of the time, menstrual cramps can be treated by women at home.

But if your pain is severe and impacts your lifestyle, dont be afraid to talk to your doctor. You might need medicines that are only available by prescription or some other treatment to help.

To help reduce period pain, here are 10 safe and effective home remedies for menstrual cramp relief.

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What Causes Painful Menstrual Cramps

Menstrual cramps happen when a chemical called prostaglandin makes the uterus contract . The uterus, the muscular organ where a baby grows, contracts throughout your menstrual cycle. During menstruation, the uterus contracts more strongly. If the uterus contracts too strongly, it can press against nearby blood vessels, cutting off the supply of oxygen to muscle tissue. You feel pain when part of the muscle briefly loses its supply of oxygen.

Manage Period Pain At Home With These 4 Menstrual Cramp Products

Its a sensation most women are all too familiar withnearly half of all women experience it at least once a month. Period cramps, whether they feel like aching, throbbing, or stabbing, are a struggle that too many women accept as an unfortunate reality. But that doesnt have to be the case, thanks to a number of highly-effective ways to manage menstrual pain that have come to market recently.

Women today have more options than ever before to minimize or even eliminate the discomfort associated with their period, thanks to breakthroughs in technology and medicine. The capacity to successfully manage period discomfort from home is assisting millions of women in improving their quality of life and wellness, not to mention the abrupt mood swings, and any social fallout that comes with them.

In this article, we will review the top four methods for managing period pain, covering wearable devices, prescription medicines, PMS supplements, and heating patches to help you determine which at-home solution can work best on your cramps. Before we dive in to explore the top products for period pain management, heres a quick primer on what cause cramps in the first place.

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Is Yoga The Answer

In fact, it seems that yoga may be one of the major good guys when combatting period pain. Lucius cites a specific study outlining the benefits of yoga during your period, and Mazzanti has a few suggestions for specific yoga positions that could help, including Janusirsasana, Bound Malasana, Camel pose, Embryo pose and Supta padangusthasana. Kenyon adds to that Cobra pose, Cat-Cow pose and Fish pose.

Keep Away From Inflammatory Foods

Fats are precursors to some of the chemicals involved in making the uterus contract, explains Gaither. Therefore, theoretically decreasing the fat content of the diet may play a role conversely in decreasing menstrual pains.

But not all fats are bad guys. Parikhs suggestions of what to eat to keep period pains at bay include adding more omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D to your diet, which can help decrease the levels of prostaglandins in the system and can be found in salmon, eggs, and dark leafy greens.

The fats youre going to want to avoid during menstruation are animal fats, which can cause inflammation. Fasula explains that the main problem is the highly inflammatory Standard America Diet. It is severely lacking in anti-oxidants and important nutrients that prevent and control inflammation, which is the underlying cause of most diseases. She calls for adding anti-inflammatory foods to your diet, including tomatoes, olive oil, nuts, fatty fish, berries and citrus.

You might even want to veer even closer to a plant-based diet to stave off pains. According to Gaither, Some small studies have looked at implementing vegan or plant-based diets and have noted that those women employing these diet changes experienced decreased volume of menstrual flow and the pain that goes along with it. Lucius agrees, citing research linking a low-fat, vegetarian diet to reduced menstrual cramps.

Also Check: How To Know When Your Getting Your Period

Unwind With A Little Yoga

According to a 2017 scientific review published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, keeping up with a regular yoga practice can help with symptoms associated with menstruation.

The analysis included 15 studies of different types of yoga, from asana to pranayama and other relaxation and meditation techniques, and their affects on menstrual pain. All forms of the soothing workout included in the review led to lower pain scores.

Make Sure To Stay Hydrated

It sounds counterintuitive, but drinking more water can actually help lessen bloating by keeping your digestive system, uh, running smoothly. Get even more water in your diet by adding in water-rich fruits and vegetables like cucumber and watermelon.

You can also go a step further and sip on warm or hot water, which can actually help lessen period cramps from the insideheated beverages have a relaxing effect on muscles, says Dweck.

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Drink Enough Of Water

We all know that water has a lot of health benefits in our body, especially if you drink enough of it. According to HealthLine.com “Drinking water keeps your body from retaining water and helps to avoid painful bloating during menstruation“.

Take note that it is best to drink hot or warm water because hot liquids increase blood to the skin and may relax cramped muscles.

Extra Tip: Check The Period Product Your Using

The period product you use may also be able to relieve some of the discomfort you feel during your period. Some Ruby Cupusers tell us that their menstrual cramps have reduced since switching to a menstrual cup.

One of the benefits of using a menstrual cup is that it can also make those heavy period days a lot easier to manage, as one cup can hold as much as three super tampons, saving you the worry about changing your period product quite so often.

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Do Some Light Exercise

Youre bloated, in pain and just want to veg out… but a bit of exercise may help solve your pain problem.

According to Farley, aerobic exercise provide natural pain relief. The increased blood flow and the endorphins help counteract the prostaglandins and reduce cramping. Gaither even compares these endorphins to a natural morphine.”

But Parikh concedes that exercise can seem impossible when youre feeling a great deal of pain, and she therefore suggests low impact activities like walking or yoga, which “are still great for helping fight menstrual pain and are easier to do when you are feeling unwell.

Plants That Relieve Pain

Herbal Treatment

Health practitioners may prescribe herbs to treat a woman’s menstrual cramps. Black cohosh, cramp bark, turmeric, and chasteberry are a few herbs that have been used. They are effective for pain relief and decreasing inflammation. Chasteberry has been used extensively in Europe for the treatment of irregular menstrual cycles, cyclical breast discomfort, premenstrual syndrome , and dysfunctional uterine bleeding. Make sure your doctor knows about all of your medical conditions, medications, and supplements because herbs are not appropriate for every woman. Herbs may interfere with the action of some medications or decrease their effectiveness.

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An Apple A Day Keeps The Cramps Away

Its not just the apple but fruits and vegetables too. Stay away from fatty foods. According to a famous ob/gyn Aldo Palmieri, MD and UCLA Health professor, having a low-fat diet can decrease the inflammation levels of your body.

Remember that the more prostaglandins you have, the higher the inflammation levels. Also, eating healthy can have more benefits to your mental and physical health. So basically, youre not just getting rid of cramps but you are also living healthy.

More Energy During Your Period

Exercise might help you improve problems with low energy, too. When you exercise, you strengthen your heart so it can provide more blood and oxygen throughout your body, including your brain. Exercise can also help relieve stress that can drag your energy levels down during the day. Finally, exercise can improve sleep so you can make the most out of your eight hours of rest.

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Keep Asking Questions Until You Get The Answer You Need

The Medical Experts are all here to answer your questions online or with a phone call.

It fights the fatigue associated with the premenstrual syndrome too. Moreover, it makes irregular period regular. So if you want to reduce the cramps, please follow these steps here:

• Cut a small piece of ginger
• Put it in a cup of water and then boil it for about 5 minutes
• After boiling, strain it
• Add some honey or lemon juice if you want
• Drink this tea three times a day during the menstrual period

You also add ginger in your meals when you cook or suck the ginger candies on when cramps attack you.

Heat To Ease Menstrual Cramps

An old fashioned hot water bottle or more modern heating pad applied to the abdomen or tummy helps bring down the pain and also means you relax. That in itself will bring down the pain. Try our cherry stone pillow which has been made in Germany by a company that employs people with disabilities. This bag of organic cherry stones moulds itself to your body and gently but efficiently relieves menstrual cramps.

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Consume More Coconut Oil

Coconut oil is known for its natural anti-inflammatory effects. Research conducted by naturopathic doctor Bruce Fife shows that women reported less pain during PMS after adding coconut oil to their diet. After incorporating coconut oil into her diet for two months, one woman shares, I usually feel like I was hit by a truck when comes on, very painful or very sore in the lower back, but this time no pain, only a feeling of tiredness.

Add coconut oil to your foods as a replacement for butter or other oils while scrambling eggs, sautéing vegetables, baking desserts, spreading on toast, and more.

Rael Heating Patches For Cramp Relief

Source: Rael

One tried-and-true method for at-home pain relief is applying heat to relax the muscles and soothe cramping. Raels Heating Patches are small self-heating patches designed that are stuck to the users undergarments to promote blood flow to aching muscles, keeping them warm for up to six hours.

Infused with lemon balm, juniper berry, jasmine, dandelion root, and rosehip, Rael claims their patches work with the power of botanicals to soothe abdominal discomfort, reduce bloating, and improve mood and energy without irritating the skin or disrupting the bodys natural hormone production.

In terms of effectiveness, heat is a no-brainer. Studies have found the use of heat wraps to relieve menstrual cramps to be just as effective than acetaminophen, a common over-the-counter pain reliever used in medicines like Tylenol.

We recommend giving Raels heating patches a try for women with low-intensity, constant cramps. Or for anyone who hates ingesting supplements and wants to alleviate their period pain without breaking the bank.

How do you manage your period cramps pain? Have you tried any of these menstrual pain products or others? Let us know in the comments below.

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When Period Pain Isn’t Normal

Menstrual cramps and premenstrual syndrome are not the same thing. PMS symptoms such as mood swings, irritability, bloating, and fatigue appear approximately a week before menses begins. After your period starts, PMS symptoms usually improve dramatically.

PMS symptoms fade after a menstrual period begins, but new pain may emerge in the form of menstrual cramps.

The lining of the uterus releases prostaglandins that make contractions more powerful and painful, especially during the first few days of the menstrual cycle. For many, this discomfort is simply a nuisance, but sometimes it’s indicative of more than just “normal” period pain.

There are two types of menstrual pain:

• Primary dysmenorrhea: This type of pain occurs around the time of a first period and usually doesn’t indicate a medical condition.
• Secondary dysmenorrhea: Pain that develops some time after a person first begins menstruating it can even begin after a long history of normal periods. It usually indicates the presence of conditions such as endometriosis, fibroids, or pelvic inflammatory disease .

If period pain is not relieved with anti-inflammatory medication or is so severe that it interferes with going to school, working, or socializing, there could be an underlying condition that needs treatment.

In this case, it’s best to call a doctor or other healthcare professional. If your tween or teen is the one experiencing menstrual pain, you can contact either a gynecologist or your child’s pediatrician .