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Introduction
Painful Periods (Dysmenorrhoea)
It is estimated that between 50 and 70 percent of
women endure some degree of period pain and cramping.
Of those, approximately 10 percent experience contractions
so extreme that they are one and a half times more
powerful than labour pains.
How painful is painful?
Every month many women suffer from pain around the
time of their periods. For some women the pain can
be so debilitating that they are forced to take time
off work or can only get through their periods by
dosing themselves with painkillers. Pain is normally
considered to be a message from your body, telling
you that something is wrong and that an investigation
is in order. However, painful periods are viewed somewhat
differently by the medical profession and many women
who complain of period pains are advised to take a
painkiller and to get on with it.
Every one of us has a different pain threshold, and it is impossible to imagine what another person might be experiencing. Only you know whether or not your period pains are unacceptably high for you, and if the pain is affecting the quality of your life, it's time to do something about it.
What symptoms could you experience?
Obviously pain is the overriding symptom in dysmenorrhoea,
but many women will experience other symptoms, including:
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhoea/constipation
- fainting
- light-headedness
- feeling dizzy
- headaches
- exhaustion and lethargy
The pain itself can vary and women will often experience two types of pain:
- a constant low back ache like a dull ache (congestive dysmenorrhoea)
and/or
- cramping pains like contractions (spasmodic dysmenorrhoea)
Because pain is usually a warning signal from your body, it is important that the pain is investigated. But period pains can, however, be unusual in that there may actually be nothing medically wrong and are simply an abnormal functioning of your body around the time of your period. This is pretty good news because it means that if you can get things back into balance, you'll not only get rid of the pain but you'll prevent it from returning. What the natural approach aims to do is to treat the condition, not simply mask the pain or 'turn off' your cycle. Furthermore, if you work to put your body back into balance, all aspects of health and well-being will be improved.
Supplements
The supplements recommended below have been studied
in clinical trials and have been found to be effective
in connection with painful periods. For best result
you should take them over a period of three months,
at the end of which you should be reassessed in order
to monitor improvements and changes and then adjust
the supplement programme according to your new condition.
Multivitamin and Mineral
A good quality multivitamin and mineral would form
the foundation of your supplement programme to make
sure that you are getting a 'little bit of everything'.
You then add in those nutrients in slightly higher
amounts which are known to be helpful for painful
periods.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is needed to help produce 'good' prostaglandins
which help to relax and widen blood vessels as opposed
to 'bad' prostaglandins which increase the womb contractions
and increase the pain. So it is worth taking a good
B-complex supplement. This vitamin has been shown
to significantly reduce the intensity and duration
of period pains.
Vitamin B1
This B vitamin is very effective in helping with period
pain. In one study, it was given to 556 women (aged
12 to 21 years) who had moderate to severe dysmenorrhoea.
Some of the women were given the B1 first for 90 days
and then changed to a placebo. Others were given the
placebo first for 90 days and the B1 next. A full
87 percent of the women were completely cured after
starting the B1 treatment. This effect remained for
at least two months after the B1 was stopped.
Because both vitamins B1 and B6 are helpful with treating period pains, the best approach is to take a vitamin complex. This also gives you vitamin B12 and it has been found that a combination of fish oil and B12 is actually more effective than just fish oil on its own for relieving dysmenorrhoea.
Vitamin E
Up to 70 percent of women have found the supplementation
of vitamin E to be useful in treating painful periods.
Vitamin C and bioflavonoids
Bioflavonoids are helpful with period pain because
they help to relax smooth muscle and reduce inflammation.
Bilberry is one of the best bioflavonoids for this,
but other bioflavonoids can be helpful. Include berries
of any kind (including blackberries, blackcurrants,
raspberries and even grapes) in your diet.
Magnesium
Magnesium acts as a muscle relaxant and it has been
shown to have a beneficial effect on painful periods
and lower back pain so it is worth taking as a supplement.
Magnesium also has the ability to lower the 'bad' prostaglandins that may be causing the womb to overcontract.
Finally, along with vitamin B6, magnesium is required by your body to help convert the essential fats into beneficial prostaglandins. Try always to take them together.
Zinc
This mineral is important for eliminating period pains
because it is needed for the proper conversion of
essential fatty acids.
Taking EFAs in supplement form is extremely important in the treatment of painful periods. Research has shown that women with low intakes of Omega 3 fatty acids (the ones that come from fish, linseed and walnuts), have more painful periods than women who have a good intake. The study that found this link also discovered that the extent of the pain was connected to the ratio or balance of the Omega 3 and Omega 6 fats. The women with the worst period pains ate a much lower ratio of Omega 3 fats in relation to Omega 6 fats - a 1 to 4 ratio.
I would suggest adding either fish (EPA) or linseed oil capsules in order to keep the 'bad' prostaglandins under control.
Bromelain
This is an enzyme contained in pineapples and it has
been found to be extremely useful for treating painful
periods. It has anti-inflammatory properties and helps
as a natural blood thinner. Bromelain also acts as
a smooth muscle relaxant and is thought to decrease
the 'bad prostaglandins and increase the 'good' prostaglandins.
Tests are extremely useful, in that they can tell you what deficiencies you have at the moment and then for you to know what supplements would be useful to take to correct those deficiencies. You would then be re-tested after three to four months to monitor your progress and to adjust the supplement programme accordingly.
Mineral Analysis Test
with Supplement and Nutritional Assessment Programme
This test measures the deficiency and excess levels
of 7 different minerals and 5 heavy toxic metals that
may be present in your body.
Online Personalised
Supplement Assessment Programme
The analysis of this comprehensive questionnaire will
give you a three monthly supplement programme to help
balance any vitamin and mineral deficiencies you may
have.
After three months you would then have a re-test in order to monitor your progress and adjust your supplement programme according to your new condition.
If you need help in obtaining any of the supplements, herbs or tests mentioned above, click, Painful Periods (Dysmenorrhoea) options at The Natural Health Practice. They can supply all of them for you online or if you prefer to talk to somebody first you can also order by mail order on the telephone. The products supplied by this company are always of the highest quality.
Plan of Action
Nutrition
Ensure you are getting the right nutrition:
Follow dietary recommendations outlined on the Foundation
of Health page.
And for more information on the special dietary recommendations
for painful periods, see the rest of the chapter on Painful Periods (Dysmenoorhoea) e-book at The Natural Health Practice
The supplement programme below should be taken for at least three months in order to achieve best results
- A good multivitamin and mineral tablet
- B complex (100 mg of each B vitamin per day; including the what you get from your multivitamin and mineral tablet)
- Magnesium (300 mg per day)
- Vitamin E (300iu per day) as d-alpha tocopherol
- Zinc citrate (15mg per day)
- Vitamin C with bioflavonoids (1000 mg twice per day)
- Linseed (flaxseed) oil (1000 mg per day)
- Bromelain (500mg, 3 times a day between meals)
At the end of three months you should reassess your condition and adjust your supplement programme accordingly.
The tests below have been specially selected to be the most helpful if you are concerned about dysmenorrhoea.
Mineral Analysis Test with Supplement and Nutritional Assessment Programme
Online Personalised
Supplement Assessment Programme
After three months you would then have a re-test in order to monitor your progress and adjust your supplement programme according to your new condition.
If you need help in obtaining any of the supplements, herbs or tests mentioned above, click, Painful Periods (Dysmenorrhoea) options at The Natural Health Practice. They can supply all of them for you online or if you prefer to talk to somebody first you can also order by mail order on the telephone. The products supplied by this company are always of the highest quality.
The section above forms part of a larger complete e-book on Painful Periods. In the rest of the e-book you will learn what the medical approaches to painful periods are and how to combine them with the natural approach. This is called Integrated Medicine and is the way that healthier of the future is moving towards. You will also learn what medical tests will give you an accurate diagnosis of your condition and if you really need to have them. The medical treatments for painful periods are then examined which can include looking at either drugs or surgery. Each treatment is then discussed and the pros and cons of the options explained. The Integrated Approach to painful periods is considered in some detail so that if appropriate you can know how to combine the best of both conventional and natural medicine.
At the end of the e-book is a practical step by step summary of what you can do to help yourself.
If you would like to read the rest of this e-book
click, Painful Periods (Dysmenoorhoea) e-book at The Natural Health Practice and
you will be given details of how you can download
the whole e-book.
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The contents of this site are for information only and are intended to assist readers in identifying symptoms and conditions they may be experiencing. This site is not intended to be a substitute for taking proper medical advice and should not be relied upon in this way. Always consult a qualified doctor or health practitioner, especially if you are pregnant, taking the pill or on any medication. Your situation will need to be looked at individually and you should not attempt to self treat. The author and publisher cannot accept responsibility for illness arising out of the failure to seek medical advice from a doctor.
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