It just seems unfair that every month we have to revisit the PMS/Cramps issue. Is there a natural way we can prevent this monthly drudgery so we can continue our daily routine without moodiness and cramps? As a practitioner of Traditional Medicine, I help my patients by suggesting some easy tips to incorporate into their wellness menstrual routine. These are tried and true and I’m happy to be sharing them with you today!
3 Tricks to Less PMS
PMS can be accentuated by stress, hormones, and our diet. Our body is building up blood to prepare for the menstrual flow. It’s almost like our insides are in a traffic jam, and that is why we can easily feel cranky because who wouldn’t feel cranky being in traffic for days? Don’t worry though, because we have a few “short cuts” to reduce your inside traffic and reduce PMS and cramps with a few simple tricks.
1. Include light work outs to get your blood flowing. This will help your internal organs get optimum blood flow, especially your liver, which can get very stuck during this time of your cycle. A stuck liver means a cranky body! Light work outs can help with irritability, depression and mood swings.
2. Eat lots of vegetables, cooked and raw, lots of fresh seafood, and avoid sugar and processed foods. Sugar and processed foods are bad for your gut, and your gut is your second brain. The highs and lows of sugar and processed food can be avoided if you keep your diet simple, clean and nutritious.
3. Include stress reducing habits like taking IN:Peace, our herbal stress formula. Included are ingredients that are proven to help stress, anxiety and depression so it helps take the edge off and reduces the “crankiness” typically associated with PMS. It’s completely natural and a great option for a refreshing mood enhancer.
3 Tricks to Less Cramps
Cramps are caused by a stagnation of blood flow. Efforts to make sure your blood is flowing smoothly and that you have an abundance of blood for easy flow is key. Blood loss from heavy periods is something to watch out for. Make sure you get adequate sleep, drink lots of water, and avoid too much caffeine (it blocks absorption of iron) during your menstrual cycle. Vitamin C, on the other hand, enhances absorption so having dinner with a glass of room temperature water with a squeeze of lemon is great! Here are 3 other tips to help you get through this often tough week!
1. Avoid eating ice cream or ice cold drinks. Blood is essentially a liquid so what happens when you put a liquid in the freezer? It freezes! Blood comes out much smoother when it is at room temperature. Our body’s natural temperature is room temperature so introducing food or drink that is ice cold can cause blood to clump. This, in turn, can cause pain. Dairy is also a phlegm producer and it can affect your hormones, especially if it’s not organic. So the combo of dairy on ice is twice as bad to eat before and/or during your menstrual cycle.
2. Eat warm soups loaded with cooked vegetables and high quality meats before and during your period. Green vegetables and dark meat are high in iron and vitamins. Compared with white meat, dark meat contains more iron, zinc, riboflavin, thiamine, and vitamins B6 and B12, all vitamins you need when you’re losing blood. If you constantly have heavy periods, you may be iron deficient.
3 Use natural anti-inflammatories and pain relievers. IN:Motion is loaded with herbal anti-inflammatories and herbal pain relievers. The ingredients help build blood, like ginger and cur cumin, and ingredients like corydalis help with pain. This is a great option to over the counter pain relievers as they have associated side effects you many not be aware of, like a 31% increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, skin rashes, and abdominal ulcers. IN:Motion can be used up to 3 times a day to help benefit your cramps.
If you’re still having cramps, you may want to supplement your system with an iron booster like Floradix, a liquid iron supplement. Be sure to take it on a full stomach or you may get nauseous.