Menstruation is a common occurrence in every woman’s life. Unwanted pain and cramps are part and parcel of this occurrence. It is like meeting a guest you do not want to see in your life. These cramps may not stay for long. But the little time it stays, surely leaves an impact. If this pain continues for more than 48 hours it is better to consult a doctor. Otherwise, you can use some of these measures to save yourself from the recurring nightmare.

Herbal home remedies to treat Menstrual Cramps problem

Exercising is one of the easiest ways to ward off this problem. Walking helps in reducing menstrual cramps because it improves circulation of pelvic organs. While walking, do not strain yourself; walk in a relaxed fashion by moving your arms and hips freely.

A warm bath or a heating pad may just do the trick. Keep the heating pad on the small of your back. It relaxes the muscle spasms and also alleviates cramping pain.

If you are planning to move out in cold weather, see to it, that you are wearing a warm jacket that covers your hips. The heat of the jacket relaxes your pelvic muscles by keep it warm.

Gingerroot tea can relieve menstrual cramps. Simmer handful gingerroot, cut in slices for 15 minutes. Let it cool to drink later.

Calcium helps to prevent menstrual cramps as it maintains the normal muscle tone. During menses muscles that lack calcium tend to become hyperactive causing cramps. Therefore increasing calcium helps in reducing menstrual cramps. Try to consume 800 milligrams a day which nearly equals three cups of milk.

Magnesium increases body’s calcium absorption capacity, therefore reducing menstrual cramps. Foods that possess properties are beans, whole grains such as buckwheat and whole wheat flour, salmon, shrimp, tofu, vegetables and nuts.

Holistic and relaxation techniques like acupuncture may help in clearing menstrual problems.

Cramp bark (Viburnum opulus) is one of the most ancient and useful herbs used to treat menstrual cramps. It helps in easing severe cramps that causes nausea, vomiting and sweaty chills.

Black cohosh is another ancient medicine used for relieving menstrual cramps. It can be taken in several forms including crude plant, dried root, or rhizome, or as a solid, dry powdered extract. The recommended amount is 20-40 mg twice per day and to be continued for six months.

Blue cohosh is completely different from black cohosh. This too, has been used traditionally to ease painful menstrual periods. Generally taken in tincture form one should not drink more than 1-2 ml three times a day. Once you become pregnant, stop using this herb, as it may cause heart problems in your child.

False unicorn is mostly taken as a tincture, 2-5ml three times per day. You can consume dried root 1-2 grams thrice daily. It is usually taken with other herbs that help female reproductive organs.

Have a tablespoon of Aloe Vera gel with two pinches of black pepper thrice a day. This will help too.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.

Article Source: Health Guidance
 

When it is one of those days when you feel bloated, have breast pain, gain weight, have acne, headaches, cramping and mood swings, you know it is one of those days that every woman dreads. A lot of women suffer from premenstrual symptoms (PMS) and it can cause a lot of inconvenience to the sufferer. There are a plenty of home-based treatments available for the PMS sufferers but it needs some experimentation to determine the right one for you.

The common treatments for PMS are:

Reduce your intake of saturated fats: When you consume a lot of fatty foods, your PMS symptoms and pain tend to worsen. Avoid fatty cuts of beef, lamb and pork and go in for fish and poultry. Replace butter, which has high content of saturated fats with flaxseeds, safflower and corn, which are rich in polyunsaturated fats.

Minimize salt intake: Excessive intake of salt leads to water retention. Many snack foods and some fast-foods have very high salt content. These foods will lead to bloating. Hence it is advisable to choose fresh fruits and vegetables over packaged and processed foods.

Take more of carbohydrates to minimize the cravings: It is common to crave for high carbohydrate foods like ice cream, chocolate and potato chips during PMS. But switching to complex carbohydrates like whole grains, pasta, cereal and bagel will effectively counter the food cravings experienced during PMS. Also, these foods are the excellent sources of fiber and thus remove the excess estrogen from the body. High-carbohydrate, low-sugar foods help in relieving the psychological symptoms of tension, anxiety and mood swings associated with PMS. Women who eat high-fiber foods are more alert and happier than those who don?t.

Move your body: Exercise has been shown to reduce many physical and psychological symptoms associated with PMS. This is because exercise releases endorphins, the chemicals in the brain associated with easing pain and increasing the sense of well-being. It also reduces breast tenderness, food cravings, fluid retention and depression.

Eliminate caffeine: If you are sensitive to caffeine, it is best to avoid caffeine like tea, coffee, colas and chocolates. Studies have proved that women who consume two or more cups of caffeine a day are likely to suffer from PMS, since caffeine is a stimulant and can lead to anxiety and irritability. It also leads to breast tenderness.

Read labels on pain relievers: Some over-the-counter medicines contain caffeine. Hence, if you take them during PMS, they will aggravate the symptoms. Read the contents of the medicine carefully before taking them.

Skip alcohol: Alcohol is a depressant and a diuretic and can worsen PMS headaches and fatigue. It can increase depression. Hence, avoid taking any alcoholic beverages including wine or beer, if you have PMS.

Prevent menstrual acne with vitamins A and D: Vitamins A and D have been proved to suppress menstrual acne. Eat plenty of carrots, cooked spinach, cooked sweet potatoes and cantaloupe for vitamin A and plenty of sunshine or fortified milk for vitamin D.

Improve your mood with vitamin B6: Taking more of vitamin B6 has been shown to improve mood swings, fluid retention, breast tenderness, bloating, sugar craving and fatigue. You can take supplements of 25 to 100 milligrams a day or increase your intake of vitamin B6 by eating more of potatoes, bananas, fish, white meat in chicken and turkey.

Reduce stress and allergies by taking vitamin C: Vitamin C helps in alleviating the stress experienced during PMS. Being a natural antihistamine, it helps women whose allergies worsen during PMS. Take more of vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and raw peppers and fruits like cantaloupe, grapefruit, oranges, cranberry and citrus fruits.

Vitamin E helps: Vitamin E has been shown to have a powerful effect on the hormonal system, thus relieving painful breast symptoms, anxiety and depression. Cooking oils and salad dressings like olive oil, safflower oil and corn oil as well as some fruits like blackberries and apples contain vitamin E.

Fight PMS with calcium and magnesium: Calcium prevents menstrual cramps and pain. Magnesium helps the body in absorbing calcium. Magnesium helps in controlling premenstrual food cravings and stabilizing moods. If you do not suffer from lactose intolerance, you can opt for skim milk as a source of calcium. Include green leafy vegetables, beans, peas, tofu and canned salmon for calcium and spinach, tofu, rice bran and some fish like halibut and mackerel for magnesium.

Article Source: Health Guidance
 

Menstruation is a normal and routine part of a woman’s life. Yet, a number of things can occur that can cause a woman pain at that time. One such thing is the retention of water that makes women feel bloated. Premenstrual water retention is a phenomenon that accompanies menstruation for many women. Retained water can cause the breasts to enlarge in an uncomfortable way. The excess fluid is lost during menstruation and this can lead to several after post-menstrual effects, depending upon body composition.

According to David B. Young, Ph. D. Professor of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Mississippi in Jackson, it’s not known as to why women experience premenstrual fluid retention although there are a few theories. Dr. Young says, “It’s a huge question, and certainly hormonal changes are involved, but nobody has a clue as to exactly how to explain it.” (www.mothernature.com).

Despite this problem’s mysterious origins, there are an abundance of cures. Mother Nature is the largest source of such cures.

“Many herbs act as diuretics-that is, they help your kidneys remove water from your body,” says Michael DiPalma, N. D. a naturopathic doctor and director of natural medicine at the Village at Newtown Medical Center in Pennsylvania. (www.mothernature.com).

Drinking two to four cups of dandelion leaf tea a day is a good remedy for temporary bloating. If you don’t like tea, you can also try one or two capsules of dried dandelion leaf, according to Dr. DiPalma.

Lack of potassium can raise a person’s blood pressure and potential for fluid retention. Consuming potassium-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables will help minimize bloating.

Another problem that goes hand in with water retention is the gain and loss of weight during and around menstruation. People who retain body fluids know how easily weight can increase.

“Weight fluctuations of as much as four to five pounds in a single day are not uncommon in women with fluid retention problems,” says Marilynn Pratt, M. D. a physician specializing in women’s health. (www.meltmagazine.com).

According to Dr. Pratt drinking at least eight glasses of water a day is another way to safeguard against water retention. This ensures a proper balance of minerals in your body and removes excess salt that may cause water retention from the body.

Carbonated and alcoholic drinks may also trigger bloating. So try to limit your consumption of them. You also want to try to avoid gas-producing foods like fried and fatty foods, eggs, sugar and sugar substitutes, wheat, and many pre-packaged foods.

Women suffering from water retention can also use Hydrozyne?. It is a product that helps ease bloating, swelling, and weight gain before and after menstruation. Hydrozyne? is available at Amazon and at http://www.bodestore.com.

Article Source: Health Guidance
 

Menstruation is considered as a natural phenomenon which usually occurs during the stage of adolescence which starts by the age of 12 years. Menstruation thus reflects the start of the puberty period in the females. With the very occurrence of menstruation, the adolescent girls experience different changes which occur in them, both physical and psychological. Menstruation is a normal cycle which lasts for a number of 3 to 5 days which occurs after a length of 28 days in the normal span.

Unpleasant symptoms like cramps, migraine, abdominal pain, dejection, breast tenderness etc occurs during menstruation. These symptoms last for only a short span of time after which it is overcome. Menstruation helps in the process of cleaning and purifying the female body from the excess toxins and wastes. Menstruation however can be assumed as a normal process of change in the physiological system in the female body. The cycle of menstruation may vary from woman to woman. Some women may experience normal cycle of menstruation while others may experience some complications in the menstrual normal cycle.

Menstruation thus depicts the normal reproductive capacity in women. This natural phenomenon of menstruation which generally occurs during puberty virtually lasts till a woman reaches the stage of menopause. Menopause is thus the stage of woman?s life when one experiences the stoppage and the cessation of menstruation. This generally occurs as and when women reach the age of 45 in the normal basis. Menopause stops the fertility period in the women?s life.

Menstruation is in fact, a major course of change in a girl?s life. Menstruation turns a girl into a woman thereby enabling them to develop their fertility prospect. Menstruation is also known as menses in the regular term. It is a Greek terminology, which usually refers to the cycle of the moon round the earth which takes around 28 days. On the basis of this, thus the term menstruation has been evolved which reflects to the normal periodic cycle which occurs around after 28 days in a woman?s life.

Menstruation as it a monthly bleeding system, it flows out generally from the uterus which is connected with the cervix through certain small openings to the vagina. During menstruation, different parts of the woman?s body is involved like the pituitary glands, the fallopian tubes, the brain, the cervix, the uterus, ovaries and most importantly the vagina. It is very important to be stated here that during menstruation period, the hormone in the woman?s body experiences varied rise and fall.

About the Author:

Farzina Naznin is an ameteur writer who has written articles for various sites including http://www.abouthealthonline.com/ http://www.sexualhealthwoman.com/ http://www.sexualhealthsystem.com/

Bloating, Pain and bad mood ? Does that sound familiar?

All women have it, all men suffer from it.

Every 28 days the female reproductive system is getting ready to receive an ovum and start a pregnancy. If the fertilization did not occur, the blood lining of the uterus is discharged and causing menstruation or as commonly called: women’s period.

During the procedure the women’s body releases endocrine which is a hormone that causes the terrible pain the women feel. The hormones might also cause changes in the women’s mood which we all know.
The problem with this pain is that it doesn’t come only during menstruation but also before and sometimes after.

The period can also include: back pain, nausea and general bad feeling.

Some women also suffer from such a strong pain that makes it impossible for them to perform normal household, job, or school-related activities for a few days during each menstrual cycle.

What can we do about it? How can we keep a normal life having menstruation pain or having a wife that suffers from it?!

There are pills to numb the pain but there are also some household products that are good to use for making homemade medicines. It is very easy and you can use almost anything you normally have in the kitchen, no need to go and buy special products. Let me demonstrate how easy that is.

? Everyone has olive oil in the kitchen, so all we need to do is take some of that, warm it up a little and rub the stomach, lie down for about 15-20 minutes. That will calm the abdomen pain.

? Another option is to eat 1 banana once the cramps start.

? Now that might sound a little disgusting but it helps: Drain 1/2-1 cup of pickle juice and drink up.

? Eat yogurt daily when you have menstruation; that should help the cramps.

? Swallow 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar 3 times daily, with every meal.

? If you have arrack at home that is the best solution. Take some cotton pad and saturate in arrack, then put on the lower abdomen where it hurts and leave for half an hour. It will really help the pain.

? Before you get your period eat a lot of rice. It will help the pain and the bloating, which is very important for the general feeling.

? Take a very hot bath with a cup of chamomile tea in.

The most important thing is not to stop your day ? the routine will help to distract you from the pain and the general bad feeling.

Is you just can’t keep your normal day; try and take a walk, just don?t concentrate on the pain.

There is no need to stop your life every 28 days just take care of yourself.

About the Author:

Ron Shelf Alternative medicine advisor www.alternative-remedies.org www.grannymed.com Menstruation Pain Solutions