Many women who visit my clinic often express their struggles with menstrual cramps and pre-menstrual syndrome. They describe a range of symptoms that can be mildly bothersome to severely debilitating. Some experience excruciating pain, requiring them to rely on Advil 1-2 times a day, miss work, or stay home altogether. Kiss period pain goodbye with natural treatment.
Surprisingly, many women have accepted these symptoms as a regular part of being female. However, it’s important to note that these symptoms are widespread but should not be considered normal. The good news is that there are steps you can take to alleviate these monthly pains, often yielding positive results within as little as three menstrual cycles or three months.
Menstrual Pain
Period pain, medically referred to as dysmenorrhea, is primarily attributed to excess estrogen and inflammation, commonly known as estrogen dominance. Estrogen’s role involves the development of tissue layers in the uterus, known as the endometrium. When an excess of estrogen is present, it can lead to an overgrowth of the uterine lining, resulting in heavy bleeding and muscle cramps during menstruation.
Whenever you experience cramps or acne before any painful periods, it may indicate that you have been consuming refined, carbohydrate-heavy foods, which contribute to inflammation build-up. By joining the Confident Hormone Club, you’ll have the tools and support you need to effectively manage and reduce period pain, enabling you to lead a more comfortable and fulfilling life.
Understanding the Factors Behind Painful Periods
- Certain factors can affect how well your body processes hormones. These include things like consuming too much caffeine, taking daily medications (like birth control pills), drinking too much alcohol, and depleting the liver’s ability to process hormones properly, especially B vitamins. When these factors come into play, it can make it harder for your body to handle hormones effectively.
- If you have a health condition like hypothyroidism or PCOS, it can lead to irregular periods. This means your menstrual cycles may be longer, lasting between 36 to 42 days, or you might have a period every other month or even every third month. The longer gap between periods indicates that your body is building up estrogen or producing more estrogen compared to progesterone. As a result, you may experience estrogen dominance, where there is an imbalance between these two hormones.
- If you feel extremely severe cramp pain during your period that goes beyond just a dull ache, like intense stabbing pain that makes you want to tear out your insides, feeling dizzy or faint at the movie theater, or even having thoughts of hurting yourself, it could be a sign of a more serious medical issue. Conditions like PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) or Endometriosis could be the underlying causes of such severe pain.
These conditions typically require medical treatment, including a comprehensive evaluation by your healthcare provider. While the tips in this article can provide some relief, you may also need additional supplements or medical intervention to manage your symptoms effectively.
Major Cause #1: Excessive Inflammation
Inflammation triggers are abundant, particularly in processed or animal-fat foods, in containers made of plastic and styrofoam that we use to store our meals, and in the creams and soaps, we regularly apply to our bodies throughout the day. These triggers accumulate over time.
Excessive inflammation in the body leads to swelling and spasms in the uterine tissue, as well as in other areas. The uterus, being an incredibly strong muscle capable of expelling a baby through a small opening, should ideally be free from spasms.
Inflammation builds up due to excessive consumption of sugar and alcohol, as mentioned earlier in relation to the liver, or as a result of excessive stress that prompts our body to produce excess cortisol. Our stress hormone, cortisol, initially suppresses inflammation, only for it to rebound forcefully when stress levels or cortisol levels decrease.
How does cortisol disturb gut health?
Cortisol, a hormone produced in our body, can disturb the nervous system in our gut, leading to inflammation in our intestines. This inflammation can enter our bloodstream when food passes through the gut cells into the blood.
The main causes of inflammation are sugar and foods high in sugar content like bread, pasta, pastries, corn chips, tortillas, fruits, and dried fruits. Diets rich in animal fats, especially red meat that hasn’t been able to move around much or was primarily fed with corn, also contribute to inflammation. Fried fats such as french fries, fried chicken, and margarine (if people still consume them) are considered modified fats that can cause inflammation.
Additionally, non-organic foods are more likely to contain pesticides like Glyphosate, which can alter the functioning of cells in our body, deplete minerals, and exposure to environmental toxins from products like shampoos, creams, and soaps can also contribute to inflammation.
The Second Major Cause: Excessive Estrogen
Estrogen builds up in our body from the foods we eat, chemicals in our surroundings, imbalances within our body, and the liver’s difficulty in breaking it down for removal.
How does estrogen disturb liver health?
Excessive levels of estrogen can result in increased swelling and thickening of the endometrial lining, as well as disrupt the balance of other hormones or their elimination from the body’s daily cycle. When estrogen brings blood to the uterine lining to promote its growth, the presence of additional inflammation in the blood can further contribute to thick, spasmodic cramps.
The prevalence of estrogen dominance arises from various chemicals and food substances that mimic the structure of estrogen, such as xenoestrogens in the environment and Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs). These substances enter our bloodstream and act similarly to the body’s estrogen but in a more potent manner. In the case of menstrual cramps, these xenoestrogens and EDCs lead to higher levels of estrogen circulating in the body.
Consequently, the uterine lining becomes thicker than it should be between periods, and this excess lining is shed during menstruation. The thicker lining often results in more severe cramping and pain during the expulsion process, leading to heavier periods for many women. What steps can we take to address the pain associated with estrogen dominance?
Efficient Alleviation with Synthetic Solutions
Pain relievers are medicines that help reduce pain. There are different types of pain relievers. Tylenol is one type, but it doesn’t have the same strength to reduce inflammation. Inflammation is when a part of your body gets swollen, red, and painful.
On the other hand, there are stronger medicines called NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like Advil, Motrin, and Naproxen. These medicines not only reduce pain but also decrease inflammation, but you need to take them in higher doses.
Period cramp is often caused by inflammation, so it’s better to choose anti-inflammatory medicines (not Tylenol) for quick relief. Sick of painful periods and acne? Level up your health journey with the Confident Hormone Club today!
However, if you take NSAIDs for a long time (like 5 or more days in a row), they can cause heavy bleeding and harm your stomach lining, leading to bleeding in your intestines. They can also cause fertility problems. So, it’s important to be careful when using NSAIDs for a long time.
To avoid these serious problems, it’s a good idea to learn about natural alternatives to NSAIDs, which are discussed later in this article. You can save NSAIDs for emergencies when you really need them, like when you have an important work presentation or a special event that you can’t miss.
Relieving Pain with The Pill
We really like estrogen! It helps us stay young, keeps our bones strong, and allows us to have a period. Unfortunately, doctors often prescribe the birth control pill to treat period pain and its uncomfortable symptoms. However, the birth control pill has more side effects compared to NSAIDs and is not as effective for pain caused by inflammation.
It is given because the pill contains a synthetic form of a low dose of estrogen and a low dose of progesterone. These hormones stop your body from producing its own hormones and instead provide a steady supply of hormones, which can help make your period lighter and reduce pain. However, it doesn’t help with inflammation caused by what you eat or exposure to chemicals.
Natural Ways to Relieve Pain Quickly
It is super easy to reduce pain in our bodies with the product Natural Advil. It uses a supplement called curcumin, which comes from the spice turmeric. Curcumin has different forms, such as Curcumin longa for general body pain and longvida, which can also help with headaches caused by inflammation in the brain. Natural Advil may require taking more capsules thn regular Advil, and it can be more expensive because the government doesn’t provide financial support for it.
However, it doesn’t cause the same digestive system problems as regular Advil. Other natural alternatives to Advil include herbs like Boswellia or Rehmannia, higher doses of omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin C. If you want to try natural anti-inflammatory methods at home, you can start by adding turmeric spice to your daily cooking. Also, a turmeric milk latte is helpful to reduce pain. To help your body absorb it better, you can include fats like coconut cream or olive oil in your meals.
Magnesium
There’s a reason why you want to eat chocolate when you’re on your period. Dark chocolate has a lot of magnesium, which helps your muscles relax and reduces cramps and spasms. It also gives you a feeling of satisfaction because it has carbohydrates. This can lower your stress hormone called cortisol and support a hormone called dopamine, which makes you feel good. Supplementing with magnesium help to deal with mood swings.
Dopamine can help reduce the pain caused by having low levels of another hormone called serotonin, which is also a big contributor to pain. Low serotonin can happen because of too much estrogen. If you want, you can also take magnesium supplements a few days before your period starts to prevent or ease the cramps. You can continue taking them during your period if you need to.
Hot water bottle
Use the hot bottle to relieve period pain. It’s a cramp remedy that has been tried, tested, and proven to work. Applying heat to the affected area helps increase blood flow and allows your muscles to relax.
Use pads instead of tampons
If you switch from using tampons to using pads during your period, it can make a big difference and provide relief. Pads don’t put as much pressure on the area, which can help you feel a lot better.
Consume a whole-food diet
Try to eat natural, unprocessed foods. Avoid foods that have been changed from their original form, like dried fruits, sauces with added sugars, or meats from factory farms. Instead, focus on fresh vegetables, fruits, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, and legumes. It’s okay to have a little bit of whole grains and dairy if your body can handle it, but it’s best to avoid them at first to reduce inflammation in your gut.
If you often experience period pain and PMS, you don’t have to accept it as normal. Dr. Kaylee understands the impact that period pain can have on your daily life and aims to empower you with effective strategies to alleviate discomfort. Through the club, you’ll have the opportunity to learn about hormone optimization, lifestyle adjustments, and targeted therapies that can help reduce period pain.
