Called “a period” by most people, menstruation is when the uterus sheds its lining. Bleeding from the vagina is the primary sign of menstruation. For most people, this lasts from three to five days. Your cycle is the first day of one period to the first of the next one, which averages 28 days but varies drastically from woman to woman. Hormones rise and fall during the month, the causative agent for the cycle. The first two weeks, estrogen levels rise and the lining of the uterus grows and thickens. While this is going on, an egg in one of the ovaries, where the eggs are stored, begins to mature. Ovulation occurs about midway in the cycle–the egg leaves the ovary. This mature egg travels through the fallopian tube to the uterus. Meanwhile, the lining of the uterus is being prepared for this egg. This is the prime time for fertilization. If it is not fertilized, the egg will break apart, hormone levels will drop, and the lining will be shed.
Dysmennorhea
Many women suffer pain during this time; for some, performing normal tasks is very difficult. It's a leading cause of lost time from school or work for teenagers and women in their 20s. Some women have additional symptoms such as sore breasts, food cravings, mood swings, and fatigue. For some, the pain begins several days before the onset of the period; for others, it begins when the period begins. As the bleeding tapers off, so does the pain. Some of this pain is normal; however, when it is excessive, it's time to do something about it. The name for painful periods is dysmenorrhea. Prostaglandin, a hormone produced in the uterus is generally considered to be a factor. It causes contraction of the uterus and it has been observed that for women who experience severe pain, the levels of prostaglandin tend to be higher. The pain is first of all in the lower abdomen but it usually extends to the back and/or legs. It may be a dull ache or it can be sharp pains that come and go. Sometimes it is accompanied by headache, nausea, constipation, diarrhea, irritability, nervousness, depression, bloating, and a constant urge to urinate. Some women even experience vomiting. Dysmenorrhea tends to become less severe with age or after pregnancy.
How Raw Foods Can Help
Optimum health is a good antidote to dysmenorhea, and the best way to achieve that is with a well-rounded and balanced raw-foods diet that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and most particularly grains. Be watchful that your calcium and protein needs are met. Some suggest that increasing dietary intake of calcium ten days before the period can help.
Some Foods That Are High in Calcium
- Sesame seeds
- Tahini
- Sesame butter
- Seaweeds like kelp
- Dark green leafy vegetables such as kale
- Parsley
- Spinach
- Fresh green sprouts
Your dysmenorrhea may be the result of a nutritional deficiency, especially if you've experienced a severe weight loss. Your raw-foods diet should include the following every day:
- Two cups of fruits
- Two and one-half cups of vegetables
- Five and one-half ounces of nuts, peanut butter, seeds, peas, or sprouted lentils
Keep a diary to be sure you are getting the nutrients you think you are. Are you feeling full and satisfied? Perhaps you need to add a little more food to your daily intake. If you've lost weight, eat enough calories to bring your weight up to normal levels.
Herbs for Dysmenorrhea
The following herbs have been shown to relieve the severe pain of monthly cramps:
- Comfrey
- Raspberry
- Nettle
- A tea made of the following:
- Oat straw
- Nettle
- Horsetail (shavegrass)
- Peppermint
- Pennyroyal
- Comfrey
- Raspberry leaf
- A tea made of the following:
- Black haw
- Valerian root
- Pennyroyal leaf
- Ginger
- Belladonna
- Chamomilla
- Cimicifuga
- Colocynthis
- Nux vomica (if you vomit when you are having cramps)
Concluding Thoughts
Menstrual cramps can be very debilitating. Some women must take to their beds as long as the bleeding lasts because that's how long the pain lasts. A lot of medications are on the market to relieve the pain; however, they do nothing to solve this problem that some women live with every month. No one wants to suffer in this way, and taking pain-killers is understandable. However, there may be a better way. The levels of blood calcium tend to begin dropping about ten days before menstruation begins and continues until the bleeding begins and continues for three more days. This drop in blood calcium brings on the headaches, water retention, muscle aches, depression, and insomnia. Whatever you can do to offset this drop in blood-calcium levels is in your favor when it comes to dealing with dysmennorhea. Some women use a heating pad when the pain is at its worst and report obtaining some relief.
By TTS Health Consultant Gabrielle Gingras
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