photo credit: Ben Husmann via photopin cc
I had some friends over the other day and one of them asked me if I had any feminine hygiene products and for a very brief second, I thought, “What?” I had to have a hysterectomy in my early thirties and that’s been so long ago, I just kind of forgot about women having periods. Then I remembered those days and the bloating, cramps and other not so fun symptoms I had back in the day and wondered if there were natural ways to help instead of popping pain pills or staying in bed all day!
Research has proven that you can reduce up to almost half of all symptoms of PMS like mood swings, depression, and menstrual cramps by simply consuming 1200 mg of calcium daily (which will also help bone health.) Dietary changes that may help reduce PMS symptoms include a low-fat vegetarian diet but if you need your meat (like I do), simply reducing your intake of refined sugar, salt, red meat, alcohol and caffeine can help. Increase your consumption of complex carbohydrates, leafy green vegetables, fruits, cereals and whole grains (which will help your overall health.)
A simple way to reduce symptoms like mood swings, insomnia and bloating by up to half? A daily 20-minute walk during your premenstrual week. Marie-Annette Brown, Ph.D., professor of nursing at the University of Washington in Seattle explains that the combination of fresh air and motion kick-starts the production of serotonin and endorphins, that can help women with hormonal ups and downs.
Statistics say that one in five women struggles with heavy periods every month. A recent South African study reported significantly lighter periods when taking 25,000 IU of vitamin A twice daily for 15 days straight. The study showed that nine in ten women who did that reported having lighter periods and for six out of ten, heavy periods disappeared. Researchers believe that Vitamin A switches on the genes that help your uterine lining grow slowly and shed properly*. (*From Woman’s World) You can get too much Vitamin A so don’t take more than this amount and don’t take it daily. As always, you should check with your doctor first before making huge changes, especially if you take medicine, have an underlying medical problem or are pregnant. Natural ways to get more Vitamin A includes eating a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, fortified dairy products, dried beans and whole grains.
For women who experience shortened period cycles (when they come every 21 days instead of every 28 days), eating soybeans (edamame) daily can help. Soybeans mimic human estrogen in the body and can help regulate your hormone levels, and help with the pain too.
If you have menstrual cramps, marigold extract, (calendula) can help reduce and soothe them away. Rich in natural muscle-relaxing compounds, this natural anti-inflammatory not only helps with cramps, but also with bee stings and muscle spasms. Gently rub the calendula on your stomach and within 15 minutes you should feel relief. You can find it at health-food stores. The strong floral scents also helps block pain signals to the brain, according to researchers at Stanford University.
Here’s more natural home remedies for menstrual problems….