Menstruation – how to keep the pain away?

Do you experience abdominal pain, headaches, back pain, physical weakness, or all the above combined during menstruation? If so, I have some tips for you how to make these symptoms less intense and, sometimes, even disappear altogether.

Listen to your body

In the post “Menstruation – why do I feel so bad?”, which you will find here, I point out the reasons. In this post I will show you specific solutions that I have been using for some time and which produce visible results 🙂 . Most of them are based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM from here), which focuses on seeking and eliminating the causes of illnesses and not focusing solely on symptoms.

The use of TMC made me realize how important it is to listen to your body and observe it, because this allows us to find the origins of the problem at hand. For example, an important clue about the general state of your health is how you feel during menstruation.

I am what I eat, especially during "THOSE" days

Diet, diet and, once again, diet during this period is VERY important! But I also have a few other tips for you, which will help you make this time as painless as possible.

What should you avoid?

Diet:

cold dishes – cold makes the digestive processes weaker and amplifies blood stasis and, consequently, the sensation of pain; therefore, during menstruation, avoid cold drinks, ice cream and raw vegetables and fruits (especially citruses);
refined sugar – leads to the accumulation of additional moisture in the body; too much moisture in the body leads in turn to excessive growth of yeasts, viruses and parasites; because moisture naturally arises in our body just before menstruation, we should avoid dishes that increase its quantity even more; in addition, refined sugar in excessive amounts leads to menstrual tension syndrome; try stay away from sugar for these few days and you will feel the difference.
limit coffee and tea (except for the herbs that I mention below);

Other factors:

cold weather conditions – during this time the immunity of our body (both physical and mental) drops; we are much more susceptible to all kinds of infections; pay special attention to the warmth of your feet, abdomen, lower back and head (eg avoid staying in the cold and cold air if you have wet hair);
stress – I know that sometimes it is a “lost cause” but if you can, listen to your body even more during this special time and respect its needs; if you can, slow down; sometimes even a small change makes a difference;
excessive physical activity – it is important to take a break from intense physical activity during this period (aerobics, jogging, swimming, endurance and strength sports); the occurrence of fatigue and sweating may be an indication for you that you should take a break from your activity during menstruation; I take a break from all physical activities / sports (even yoga) for the first three days.

What will help you?

Diet:

rice, liver and adzuki beans – rice strengthens the QI (life energy), which is weakened during menstruation and improves digestion; liver nourishes, moves the blood and reduces its stasis; adzuki beans remove blood stagnation and moisture from the body; therefore, especially in the first two days of menstruation, you should mainly eat these products; I especially recommend rice with stewed apples and cinnamon for breakfast!
warm dishes – during menstruation we need a lot of heat in the body to maintain proper blood circulation; that’s why our menu should only consist of warm and cooked dishes these days; on such days broth is great (I eat it for supper) as well as other vegetable soups; vegetables and fruits should be boiled, stewed or baked first;
fennel tea – drink it once to twice a day, especially at the beginning; fennel seeds can be found in every herbalist store and most health food stores; drinking such tea brings relief to my abdomen;

Other factors:

a slower pace and a lot of sleep – during menstruation our body needs rest, because menstruation naturally weakens it; we should extend our sleep by a maximum of two hours (but one will also make a difference!); according to TCM, we should generally go to bed at 9:30 PM because it is between this hour and 11:00 PM that major blood and hormone regeneration processes take place in our body;
massage using natural essential oils – it brings me great relief to rub sage oil into my abdomen; I do this twice a day (mornings and evenings) and sometimes, if need be, even once more; a friend, in turn, uses mint and lavender oils to great effect; if you don’t have access to oils, then massage alone can alleviate the discomfort, but it must be performed regularly.

Does it make sense to use herbs and acupuncture?

Herbs and acupuncture are tools the systematic use of which leads, among other things, to the removal of excessive blood stasis and QI from the body. Regular acupuncture reduces the intensity of persistent symptoms (including abdominal pain) and contributes to regulating menstruation. Herbs boost blood production and removal of stasis. However, everyone will have a different selection of herbs to suit their needs, depending on their overall health. Acupuncture and puncture sites are also selected individually, depending on the condition in which your body and mind are at the moment. Therefore, it is VERY IMPORTANT to use only what the TCM specialist recommends to you.

I hope that I have at least inspired you to look at your eating habits, especially during menstruation, and to take care of yourself. If you have a friend who’s no stranger to the problems of PMS, share this post with them!

Want to learn more or get in touch with a specialist?

If you want to read why you feel so bad during menstruation, then read my article: Menstruation – why do I feel so bad

If you want to read more about the basics of TMC, then I suggest you read “Traditional Chinese Medicine” by George Weidinger.

If you would like to buy natural essential oils, you will find them here: YoungLiving

If you would like to make an appointment with a TMC specialist, contact details can be found here: dr. Helena Gworek

Katarzyna

The information provided in the article is not written by a doctor and does not constitute medical advice. Any and all suggestions that are provided are informative by nature and should not be treated as substitutes for individual diagnosis and individually assigned treatment.