With the sun beginning to warm things up these days we’re almost at that time of year where you want to be outside ALL the time!
But if you have painful periods they can really get in the way of celebrating the sunny season.
You might find yourself not feeling “up” to things because your lower abdomen, back or legs are in pain during that time of the month. You may even miss a day of work or doing things you love to on the weekend because you’re curled up in bed with cramps. This can ruin a good summer for anyone.
If this sounds familiar to you, I can relate. I struggled with painful periods for years before finally figuring out what caused them…by accident.
Image credit, Kiran Foster
Up until then I thought I just had to “deal” with them, and that painful cramps were a normal part of my menstrual cycle. I struggled through cramps every month for over 10 years. During that time my travel case of Tylenol extra strength was as steady of a companion as my wallet and keys. Ouch!
Back then painful periods affected my ability to compete as an alpine ski racer, and perform in my studies and at work in the way I wanted to.
As I mentioned, healing my painful periods happened by accident. I sought out support from a naturopathic doctor for my fatigue and digestive issues in my early 20’s. As I healed these issues and rebalanced my body, it just so happened that ALL of my menstrual issues disappeared.
WOW.
It took me years to stumble across a solution. I want to make the journey to being pain-free MUCH more direct for you.
When your painful periods disappear, you’re never held back because it’s “that” time of the month. You can get outside, play, have fun, and feel great when YOU want to. Imagine that…
Top Tips for a Comfortable Period
1. Visit your doctor – I say this first because your medical doctor can rule out some structural issues or conditions that often cause very painful periods, including fibroids, endometriosis, or an infection, among others. It’s nice to have issues like this ruled out on the front end. And, the great news is there are incredible ways to help heal conditions like endometriosis and fibroids naturally.
2. Heal your digestion – pain is caused by inflammation and if you have digestive issues they can increase inflammation in your body. If you have cramping, bloating, loose stools, or constipation, your digestion could be adding fuel to the fire for menstrual cramps.
3. Detoxify your liver – inflammation that causes uterine pain can also be exacerbated when your body is overwhelmed with toxins. Here’s a gentle support to help your liver dump out toxins – add the juice of ½ lemon to a glass of water each morning. A gentle but powerful spring cleanse that involves eating a clean diet for a week or more will also help clear out clutter that causes inflammation.
4. Choose the best fats – some fats are inflammatory (i.e. create pain) such as tranfats, saturated animal fats and vegetable oils like canola. Other fats actually reduce inflammation and pain, like omega 3’s. Fish oils, flax seed oil and olive oil are great options.
5. Avoid dairy & sugar during the 2 weeks leading up to your period – you should notice a difference the FIRST time you try this out!!
Image credit, Fabio Gismondi
6. Ginger – this herb increases circulation to your lower abdomen and helps clear out inflammation. For ginger tea (great to drink cold in the summer!) chop up an inch of fresh peeled ginger and boil it in a cup of water for 10 minutes. You can make a big batch up at the start of your period to last you through the week. Enjoy 1 – 3 cups per day.
7. Magnesium – Magnesium helps relax your blood vessels to help bring in fresh oxygen and reduce pain. Since most women are deficient in magnesium, your whole body will benefit from bringing it in! Be sure to buy a good quality supplement a highly absorbable form like malate, citrate or glycinate.
There are also fantastic herbs like crampbark that effectively reduce cramping and pain. Anti-inflammatory and hormone balancing herbs, like turmeric and chaste tree, are also able to address the underlying issue depending on what it this is for you.
To learn more about what you can do to free yourself from relying on those painkillers every month, you’ll want to connect with me for a complimentary 45- minute Health Insight call.
On this call we’ll get right into what’s going on for you, clarify what you truly want for your health and your body, and uncover what’s standing in your way. We’ll also talk about first steps and potential strategies for healing your issue, and how I might be able to help you.
Simply email me at info@drvivianlord.com to let me know you’re interested.
It’s a no-strings great step to uncovering what’s possible for you.
I look forward to hearing from you!