Menstrual pain is one of the major reasons to take working days off.
Menstrual pain is common among 10%-15% of women who suffer from extreme pain and bleeding during menstruation.
It makes it almost impossible to continue daily life normally. I understand the menstrual challenges as a female Nutritional Consultant. During this period, we face the discomfort of severe abdominal cramps, back pain, mood swings, and bloating. It leads to missed workdays and causes a nasty hit to our quality of life.
That’s why many female workers must take work off during menses. A survey showed that 45% of Americans support menstrual leave, and another 16.3% would back it for severe symptoms. Despite this strong support, no such policy exists in the USA.
You can’t afford to take off from work every month. But is there any alternative? Yes! A little lifestyle change, taking care of your menstruation health, proper hygiene, and nutrition can save you. If you have severe menstrual problems and Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS), your whole month (and, in this sense, your entire life) gets impacted. It disturbs your daily routine, you can’t focus, and you can’t be productive.
As an expert in Hair Mineral Analysis, I can almost always tie these serious symptoms to high copper or hidden copper toxicity. In this blog, I will share some remedies, hygiene, and nutrition tips to help you tackle menstrual pain.
9 Nutritional tips and hygienic hacks to eliminate annoying menstrual pain
If you are living a bad lifestyle and have no proper diet, you unintentionally disturb your menstrual cycle. You can even inadvertently add to your symptoms by eating the wrong foods such as nuts, chocolate, and even avocadoes.
According to NIH, 40% of women face premenstrual symptoms severely and moderately, and a lot of them are linked to poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle practices. Symptoms may vary as there is a long list, such as:
- Muscles/joints pain and fatigue/irritability
- Cravings, mood swings and depression
- Pain in lower body and back
- Tenderness in breast
- Acne or breakouts
Some of the root causes include:
- Nutrient-deficiency
- Poor sleep quality, stress, and anxiety
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Strenuous work routines and low psychological resilience
It’s surprising how these factors can impact how we feel each month!
With nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids (fish, calcium & vitamin D) in our diet and a strategic approach to maintaining a healthy diet, we can excel at work without suffering from period problems. Curious how?
Keep reading!
1. Dietary supplements can cover your nutritional needs and balance hormones.
PMS or menstrual symptoms are partially caused by the lack of nutrients our body demands during the whole menstrual cycle, which imbalances hormones. Dietary supplements can fulfill your nutrition needs when you have gaps in your diet or are low in cellular storage. Supplements that are used to reduce menstrual pain include:
- Fish oil
- Calcium, Magnesium
- Vitamin B6, B12, B1, E and D
Cinnamon, fennel, and ginger are also beneficial for period cramps.
2. Caffeine is the worst for menstrual pain.
Think coffee or another caffeinated fix can save you from period pain? Think again—it might make things worse! They can even lead to more discomfort, such as bloating, agitation, and mood swings, as well as creating dehydration.
I have observed that avoiding the following ingredients can help manage your period symptoms.
- Caffeine and alcohol
- Salty products and junk food
- Sugar
3. Take tea for a soothing effect and to overcome pain.
This hack is a blessing for tea lovers. It won’t take too long, and you can easily prepare it at your desk with a minimum of ingredients.
Nothing is more convenient than having a hot water cup with drops of honey. Since you are “detoxing” during our cycle you will want to avoid lemon/lime/orange juices as the citric acid can open your blood/brain barrier. This will allow any purging metals to possibly redeposit into the brain. Don’t bore your taste buds; you have multiple flavor choices but avoid Rooibos tea as it is very high in Nickel. You can choose any kind of herbal tea and add ginger (it also helps you to treat irregular periods), honey, or whatever spices you want. I would however suggest avoiding artificial sweeteners. If you struggle with sugar regulations, try monk fruit as a sweetener as it won’t affect your glycemic fluctuations.
4. Eat fruits to deal with food or sugar cravings.
If you are a sweat/sugar lover, fruits can help you reduce your cravings. Fruits are nutrient-rich; you can also eat them at your office. Many times when you are craving sugars or carbohydrates it can be your body indicating you are low on energy and need a sugar boost or have parasites present. Rule out high blood and cellular sugar with a Hair Analysis before eating fruits. The following fruits can reduce menstrual pain;
- Avocado is beneficial in reducing period cramps but limit it to 2 a week due to high copper content.
- Bananas are enriched with boron, which reduces pain.
- Papaya helps to manage irregular periods.
- Jaggery is sweetened and helps lower uterine cramps as well as water retention.
5. Reduce stress to ease menstrual symptoms.
I know it’s hard to reduce stress, especially during periods. Your irritability and mood swings are at their peak. However, stress can harm your menstrual cycle and make symptoms more problematic.
Take steps to control your stress level by;
- Doing some physical activity like walking, gentle yoga, swimming etc.
- Do meditation to relax and bring hormone levels down.
- Manage your work-life balance.
- Try to work on a flexible schedule to allow for extra downtime.
6. Apply heat to get relief from period cramps.
It is the fastest way to relieve menstrual cramps. Apply heat with a heating pad to the lower abdomen or back for instant relief.
Heating pads or patches are travel-friendly. You can easily carry it in your bag and bring it to your workplace to help take down inflammation and soothe the pulling muscles.
7. Make your periods pain-free with painkillers.
My go-to anti-inflammatory, pain reliever is AKBA PLUS by True Botanica with Boswellia. Use the code PR181 to get 5% off. I use it in place of any pharmaceutical and it has no side effects.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are another option to get rid of any stubborn menstrual pain. Only use painkillers only if your doctor recommends it for you to avoid serious complications. Take proper medication if pain and bleeding are too severe to bear.
If it occurs monthly or bi-monthly, make an OB-GYN appointment to rule out serious causes such as endometriosis. So many symptoms are caused by high copper such as cysts/fibroids, inflammation in the uterus, and even hemorrhoids.
8. Nourish your body with healthy meals.
Do you choose fast foods to satisfy your cravings and mood swings? That’s another red flag! Please ensure you eat a balanced meal that includes vegetables, complex carbohydrates, healthy fats specific to your metabolism rate, nuts, etc.
I have a tip for you: Make your dish with colorful ingredients or a blend of flavors to uplift your mood. You won’t feel cheated out of tasty food or regret giving in to unhealthy temptations. Try it and let me know the results.
9. Select comfortable and suitable sanitary products for your hygiene.
Having a period at work seems troublesome. Using tampons or sanitary pads and changing them after every 4 to 5 hours to avoid stains or leakage seems uncomfortable, isn’t it?
Menstrual cups can be eco-friendly, comfortable, and more hygienic, and you can wear them for up to 12 hours, depending on your discharge flow. The cost savings are huge and less toxic than commercial hygiene products.
Don’t forget to put extra sanitary products in your office bag to avoid complications. Buy organic products as 95% or more cotton has been sprayed with glyphosate (Roundup). This toxin will be readily absorbed with tremendous permeability and into your sensitive tissues. It can kill your probiotic (good bacteria) negatively affecting your health in many ways. I typically suggest the Lola brand.
Hair Analysis and Menstrual Pain
Don’t let your period pain disturb your personal growth and career!
Menstruation isn’t only about the elimination of blood monthly to ensure a clean and fertile environment. It’s something like an untold war inside you sometimes. With healthy strategies and nutrition, every woman can win.
You can adopt healthy and hygienic habits to overcome the challenges of the period, manage your hormones, and treat all the discomforts. Don’t be afraid of your period, and know that your monthly cycle is detoxifying and can be beneficial.
Watch one of my testimonials on menopause. Deb shares her experience with menopause, weight loss, fatigue, hormones, blood sugar, blood pressure, inflammation correction, and more!!
If you need help, I’m here for you, LET’S CHAT.
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