Menstrual Problems

It comes once a month, like the phone bill and the mortgage payment—and for some women, it’s about as welcome. For them, the menstrual period can be an endurance contest. While their more fortunate sisters barely notice their periods or get by with the occasional mild cramp, others suffer with headaches, heavy bleeding and cramps severe enough to cause them to miss work or school. Add up all of the days a woman has her period, month after month, year after year, and you’ll find that she spends a lot of time menstruating. The natural remedies in this chapter, used with your doctor’s approval, may help relieve the symptoms of menstruation, according to some health professionals.

Acupressure

Retreat to a quiet, comfortable room so you can get the most out of these cramp-relieving acupressure points, says Michael Reed Gach, Ph.D., director of the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, California, and author of Acupressure’s Potent Points. He suggests pressing points Sp 12 and Sp 13, which are situated in the pelvic area, in the middle of the crease where the leg joins the trunk of the body. Sp 12 is slightly lower and a little more toward center than Sp 13. (For help in locating these points, refer to the illustration on page 564.) Dr. Gach says you can stimulate all of these points at one time by positioning your left fist over points Sp 12 and Sp 13 on your left side and your right fist over the points on your right side. Lie on your stomach with your fists in place, using the weight of your body to apply gentle pressure. Find a comfortable position and relax for at least two minutes, says Dr. Gach.

Ayurveda

To ease menstrual problems, take one tablespoon of aloe vera gel with one pinch of black pepper, suggests Vasant Lad, B.A.M.S., M.A.Sc., director of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He says to start taking this mixture after every meal one week before your period begins. You should continue taking it during your period if you have cramps, he adds, one dose every half-hour until your symptoms are relieved.

Aloe vera gel is available in most health food stores. Be sure to purchase the kind that’s intended for internal use; ask your Ayurvedic practitioner or herbalist to recommend a brand that won’t have a laxative side effect.

Flower Remedy/Essence Therapy

“In some women, very painful periods are the result of anxiety about their sexuality,” says Cynthia Mervis Watson, M.D., a family practice physician in Santa Monica, California, who specializes in homeopathy and herbal therapy. To these women, Dr. Watson recommends the California flower essence Pomegranate.

“Pomegranate balances the female organs and helps women accept their sexuality, which can make a huge difference in their experience of menstruation,” says Dr. Watson. This essence is also helpful for women with premenstrual syndrome, she says. These remedies should be taken every day, not just when you’re menstruating.

Flower essences are available in some health food stores and through mail order (refer to the resource list on page 635). For information on preparing and administering flower essences, see page 37.

Herbal Therapy

Drink cramp bark tea for painful menstrual cramps, says Barre, Vermont, herbalist Rosemary Gladstar, author of Herbal Healing for Women and other books about herbs. To make the tea, Gladstar says, place four tablespoons of cramp bark, one tablespoon of pennyroyal and one to two teaspoons of freshly grated ginger in a pot and add a quart of cold water. Slowly bring the water to a simmer. Cover the pot and allow it to simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Then remove it from the heat, steep for 30 minutes and strain. Drink ¼ cup every 15 minutes until cramping stops, says Gladstar. Cramp bark and pennyroyal are available in most health food stores.

Homeopathy

Occasional menstrual pain can be relieved with a few doses of one of the following homeopathic remedies, according to Maesimund Panos, M.D., a homeopathic physician in Tipp City, Ohio, and co-author with Jane Heimlich of Homeopathic Medicine at Home. If you double up with pain or can relieve your cramps by pressing a book or pillow into your belly, Dr. Panos says to try Colocynthis 6X. She suggests Magnesia phosphorica 6X if placing a heating pad or warm water bottle on your belly relieves your pain. If you produce bright red blood during your period and your menstrual pain comes and goes, but when it strikes, it feels as if your uterus were trying to push its way out of your body, give Belladonna 6X a try, she says. If you feel impatient and snappy, she recommends Chamomilla 6X.

Take the remedy of choice every 15 minutes for up to four doses, then wait two hours, says Dr. Panos. If you don’t feel any improvement, she advises repeating the doses.

All of these remedies are available in many health food stores. To purchase the remedies by mail, refer to the resource list on page 637.

Hydrotherapy

“Hydrotherapy is very effective for relieving menstrual cramps,” says Tori Hudson, N.D., a naturopathic physician and professor at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Oregon. “Most cramps are caused by muscle contractions in the pelvic area. A hot pack on the abdomen for 5 to 30 minutes relaxes the muscles and makes you feel better fast.”

In some women, cramps are caused by congestion of blood in the pelvis, says Dr. Hudson. In such cases, she recommends applying an ice pack to the lower abdomen for 5 to 30 minutes while sitting in a hot bath. She says this draws blood to the extremities, away from the pelvis, and does a super job of taking away the pain. She advises patients to try both treatments to see which works better for them.

Juice Therapy

To ease menstrual cramps, try this blend of apple, celery and fennel juices, suggests naturopathic physician Michael Murray, N.D., in The Complete Book of Juicing: Juice two apples, two celery ribs and one small bulb of fennel. According to Dr. Murray, both celery and fennel are rich in phytoestrogens, which mimic the effects of the female hormone estrogen and may reduce menstrual discomfort. He recommends two eight-ounce glasses of this juice every day, along with proper medical treatment.

Women who suffer cramps may also benefit from drinking fresh pineapple juice, according to Cherie Calbom, M.S., a certified nutritionist in Kirkland, Washington, and co-author of Juicing for Life. “Pineapples are rich in the enzyme bromelain, which is believed to be a muscle relaxant,” says Calbom.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Massage

The following two massages can help relieve menstrual cramps, according to Elaine Stillerman, L.M.T., a New York City massage therapist. First, lie on your back with your legs bent. Press your palms gently over the pubic area. Then begin to make small circles with your fingertips, going in a clockwise direction over the uterus. Continue for three to five minutes.

Next, lie on your side, with a pillow under your neck and one between your knees. Reach behind your back, and with the palm of your hand, massage the sacrum, the triangle-shaped bone at the base of your spine, in a clockwise direction. Spiral out from the sacrum in a clockwise manner until you have massaged the entire lower back. Continue for five to seven minutes.

Reflexology

To help relieve cramps and other menstrual problems, focus on these reflex points on your hands or feet: reproductive system, pancreas, thyroid and pituitary gland, spine and lymphatic system, says Rebecca Dioda, a reflexologist with the Morris Institute of Natural Therapeutics, a holistic health education center in Denville, New Jersey. She says this will help relax key points in your body and ease menstrual symptoms.

To help you locate these points, consult the hand and foot reflex charts beginning on page 582. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.