Do You Suffer From Menstrual Pain And PMS?
Every aspect of your menstrual cycle: the duration, smell, volume & colour blood, timing of ovulation, basal body temperatures, PMS, and cramping— all gives you important information about your health and provides a valuable feedback mechanism to measure your progress in getting healthier.
It is common for females to experience period cramps around the time of her period, which is typically felt in the uterine, abdomen, back, or thighs. 1in10 people experiences pain levels that can hinder and affect their daily activities. Menstrual cramps are caused by an excess of prostaglandins compounds that are released from the uterine lining as it prepares to be shed. They are a necessary part of the process, but in excess, they cause pain. Your menstrual flow is made up of blood and the lining of your uterus.
PMS (Pre -Menstrual Syndrome)
Is super common with 3 out of 4 people experiencing PMS, which is a cluster of symptoms that can occur from ovulation, usually about two weeks after your period, until your period starts again. This can be a rough time of the month for women, symptoms include bloating, constipation or diarrhoea, mood changes, breast tenderness irritability, headaches, fatigue, cravings, anxiety, depression and insomnia, all of which are related to your body’s response to hormonal fluctuations.
Increased Stress Physiological & Psychological During Mensuration:
There are two kinds of stress: physiological stress (stress on the body) and psychological stress (stress on the mind). They both have a giant role in PMS and cramping and are interrelated. In fact, your body doesn’t really even know the difference between physiological and psychological stress.
Like a bank account, your body has a pool of resources.Your body draws on that account for everything you do. Exercise, mental activity, digestion, having fun, hormone function, removing waste, reproduction etc—they all draw on that same account. It would be ideal if you don’t spend more than you make, and everything is balanced, working fine with good amount of reserves.
In this modern world most of us is running our bodies at a deficit. The more things we do that add physiological stress, not getting enough sleep, eating low-quality food, working too many long hours, taking on too many social obligations, not taking time for rest and rejuvenation, the larger our deficit spending becomes. It’s possible to overdraw this account for a little while, but sooner or later something has to give.
If your menstrual cycle is reader and like a stress test for your body, when your body is strained, the weaker systems are affected first; they’re the ones that aren’t getting paid or the savings are being drawn out and used up. As you’d expect, the bigger the deficit, the more systems are affected, and the worse your symptoms become. This is where PMS really comes into play, so those two weeks before your period (and especially the few days before) are your best guide to identify the systems that need a little extra attention and balance.
Importance Of Hormonal Balance:
The menstrual cycle is divided into two main phases:
The phases of the menstrual cycle are prompted by hormonal changes that occur naturally within the body, and so the health of our menstrual cycles can tell us a lot about the health of our hormones.
The follicular: follicular phase starts on the first day of your cycle (the first day of menstruation) and lasts until ovulation, usually around day 14-16.
The luteal: luteal phase begins after this, and lasts for days 15-28 (approximately), leading up to your next period. Within these phases, there are two additional phases: menstruation and ovulation.
Our monthly menstruation cycle is like a meter reading on your body and mind. Each PMS symptom, and its severity, gives clues and information about how your body systems are responding to the hormonal fluctuations associated with the Luteal stage (second half of your cycle). During the end of your cycle, your body does some heavy lifting to break down extra hormones still floating around the bloodstream. If everything is working ideally, these hormones are processed by the liver and cleared efficiently, resulting in a more PMS-free cycle.
Magnesium Deficiencies Associated With Cramps And PMS:
Magnesium deficiencies can have a major impact on how well we feel during our menstrual cycles as low magnesium levels can cause intense period cramps. One study found that 10 out of 11 apparently healthy women were magnesium-deficient based on the oral magnesium load test. consider a magnesium supplement as this mineral may be effective in lessening menstrual pain over time, and reducing the need for pain medication, also effects of magnesium are far more potent when combined with vitamin B6.
Magnesium also helps regulate the stress hormone cortisol and is often recommended for chronic stress, tension, and anxiety. Magnesium is also a powerful way to soothe the nervous system, it can do a lot to help ease the mood swings and headaches that often show up before and during periods.
study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5786912/#R49
Diet Changes To Help Period Pains:
As more is learned on the relationship between inflammation and period cramps, we may see recommendations for cramp-prevention diets. One clinical trial of 33 women with menstrual pain found that women had less menstrual pain when they followed a low fat-vegetarian diet. Avoid, alcohol, excessive salt, red meat, dairy, proceeds foods, sugar, refined carbohydrates, artificial foods and drinks. The healthier you are, the less symptoms you will experience during your period.
Ginger A Painkiller For Period Cramps:
Ginger may be as effective as common painkillers. Clinical trials of more than 100 students with moderate to severe period pain found ginger root was more effective for menstrual pain, compared to students similarly taking NSAIDs Ibuprofen or mefenamic acid. One ginger group took 250mg capsules of zintoma ginger extract, from the start of their periods, and then every 6 hours, until their pain was relieved. The other took 1000mg of ginger rhizome powder daily (divided over 4 times per day) for the first three days of their period.
What Can You Do To Support Your Body During Menstruation?
Many women experience imbalanced hormones, pain and discomfort This can be supported and re-balanced by using the appropriate foods, herbs, supplements to nourish the body. Keeping a clean detoxed internal body helps to restore harmony and aids to lessen or diminish symptoms. Remember when your body has a hard time responding to the changing hormonal environment, it creates physiological stress that can impact a variety of organ systems. Like any other system under stress, the weakest parts are usually the first ones to break down:
Do you tend to get cravings, nausea, or have bowel changes before your period? This a sign that your digestive system is on the weak side.
Do you get breast tenderness, headaches, or irritability? This signals that your body’s detox system is down and isn’t doing a great job of cleaning up your hormonal leftovers.
Are you fatigued or having trouble sleeping or feeling anxious? These are important indicators that you’re running low on resources in general and that your body is in desperate need of a boost.
Many women experience imbalanced hormones and discomfort, but by supporting and strengthening the body systems that are breaking down, we can diminish PMS symptoms and pain. It will be a bonus is if we can strengthen these systems now, before real, chronic disease sets in, we can achieve and live a better healthier life. We can support the body and re-balance by using the appropriate foods, herbs, and supplements to nourish the body, by paying attention to basic things like sleep, adequate nutrition, exercise, mindfulness, hydration, and by maintaining a clean inner body which helps to restore harmony and lessen symptoms.
If you are dealing with a serious hormonal imbalance or recent diagnosis, it’s imperative that you seek support and guidance from a holistic practitioner.