Painful and difficult periods are so commonplace in our society that some women have come to think of them as normal. However, they are not normal at all. Many experts feel that the symptoms of menstrual cramps (dysmenorrhea) are related to dietary practices as well as to unresolved emotional difficulties.
What factors contribute to menstrual cramps? Dr. Pat Gorman, an acupuncturist and educator from New York City, explains: “In addition to toxins found in foods with preservatives, additives, and caffeine, they are due to putrid proteins found in dairy and red meat. These foods contain a lot of hormones that upset the system. In addition, foods fried in heavy oils cause problems and should be cut out immediately by any woman interested in getting rid of dysmenorrhea.”
Dr. Gorman adds that the Chinese attribute this condition in part to pent-up anger and frustration. “If you are not happy with your life, if you are angry with people, you must work this out. The liver, which stores blood and prepares it for the period, is also responsible for anger. That’s not a Western concept, but with my patients I find that working out anger helps the liver relax. As a result, there is far less of a problem with dysmenorrhea.”
Dr. Marjorie Ordene, a gynecologist in Brooklyn, New York, agrees that hormonal and psychological factors cause painful periods and explains the underlying factors. “What causes dysmenorrhea are exaggerated uterine contractions. These contractions are mediated by receptors in the uterine lining that are stimulated by hormonal and psychological factors. Hormonal factors that stimulate the uterine receptors have actually been isolated. They are chemical messengers called prostaglandins. Two things are clear: People with menstrual cramps have an excess of prostaglandins, and there is an imbalance in the types of prostaglandins they produce.”
She adds that eating foods we are allergic to can increase prostaglandin production: “For example, many women are sensitive to yeast, and eating baked foods, breads, pastries, and processed fruit juices can cause an increase in prostaglandin production.”
Medical doctors often prescribe medications such as ibuprofen to inhibit prostaglandins. While these agents work to relieve menstrual cramps and the accompanying symptoms, problems occur when drugs are taken month after month. The side effects can include gastrointestinal bleeding, decreased blood flow to the kidneys, and leaky gut syndrome, a condition that allows undigested food particles to enter the blood.
Changes in diet can decrease overproduction of prostaglandins and restore normal balance. Cool green foods help reduce hot, stabbing pains and inflammation. It is good to eat foods such as organic grains, legumes, oatmeal, and steamed green vegetables. Deep-sea fish such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel can be included, as well as flaxseed oil. Hot spices should be avoided, along with fried greasy foods, sugar, salt, alcohol, and stimulating foods such as garlic and onions. Foods that produce allergies should be eliminated as well.
Women who have nerve-related menstrual pain can benefit from tofu but should stay away from too many cold raw salads, hot spicy foods, and even white potatoes. Herbalist Letha Hadady suggests this soothing recipe: warm tofu cooked with sweet spices such as pumpkin pie spices and nutmeg. This quiets the nerves and helps a woman feel nurtured and relaxed.
Taken throughout the month as a daily supplement, evening primrose oil prevents headaches and blemishes that occur just before the period. Magnesium deficiencies are common and result in the release of prostaglandins that cause spasm and pain. Magnesium citrate is antispasmodic and helps relieve the problem. You can take 500 to 1,000 milligrams daily and work up to bowel tolerance. Among the other supplements that have been found to help are folic acid, calcium with vitamin D, vitamin B6, and vitamin E, black cohosh, evening primrose oil, and chasteberry.
The following herbs may help alleviate menstrual problems:
GARDENIA AND PHILODENDRON—These are popular in Chinese medicine and can be obtained by prescription from an herbalist.
CORN SILK TEA—This tea helps get rid of the bloating that comes from too many hormones stored in the blood. Women’s Rhythm also eliminates bloating.
XIAO YAO WAN—This is a wonderful remedy that can be purchased at pharmacies in Chinatowns in major cities. It helps digestive processes. Not only does this formula relieve painful periods, it also alleviates anger.
GREEN TEA—Green tea is cooling and satisfying, and has very little caffeine. A pinch of tea can be added to a pot of boiled water, steeped for five minutes, and sipped throughout the day. People experience an energy pickup from the digestion being activated, not from the nerves being stimulated. Green tea helps soothe sharp, stabbing pains.
ALOE VERA JUICE OR GEL—Aloe can eliminate headache, irritability, fever, stabbing pain, blemishes, and bad breath associated with menstrual cramps. Aloe also reduces acid from the stomach and liver and is slightly laxative. Just add to juice, tea, or water.
DANDELION—Dandelion helps break apart impurities in the system. It can be bought as capsules or tea.
SARSAPARILLA—Sarsaparilla helps hot, stabbing pains brought on by inflammation. It is anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, diuretic, and soothing.
VALERIAN—Valerian is a sedative herb that makes a woman feel quieter, more relaxed, and grounded. It is especially good for nervous women who experience insomnia, anxiety, crying jags and emotional upsets, and other nervous problems. Valerian quiets the nerves that go to the uterus.
YUNNAN PAI YAO—This combination of herbs helps reduce heavy bleeding and stabbing pain. Because it increases the circulation, internal bleeding is healed and swelling and pain are reduced.
Homeopathy was developed in Germany more than 200 years ago by Dr. Samuel Hahnemann. The word homeopathy means “like cures like.” The same substances that cause a disease in a healthy individual can heal an ailment in a sick person when they are diluted and given in minute proportions.
The late homeopathic physician Dr. Ken Korins explained that the dilution process is what makes homeopathic remedies so safe: “Homeopathy is a vibrational medicine. We are dealing with very subtle energies. Substances are given in extremely small doses that cannot possibly have any toxic effects. In fact, if you were to analyze these substances, you would not find a trace of the original material in the final dilution.”
The correct homeopathic remedy is the one that most closely matches the symptoms that manifest themselves. Dr. Korins recommended that dysmenorrhea sufferers choose from among the following:
COLOCYNTHIS—Colocynthis is a frequently indicated remedy that is useful when you have a severe onset of sudden cramps, particularly on the first day of menstruation. Emotionally, intense irritability and anger are associated with the menstrual cramps. A key indication is that you feel better when your knees are pulled up toward the stomach and held with firm pressure.
MAGNESIA PHOSPHORICA—Magnesia phoshorica helps spasmodic cramps with bloating. The key indication for this remedy is that you feel better from warmth. Magnesia phosphorica and Colocynthis help alleviate the symptoms in 85 percent of cases.
PULSATILLA—A key indication for Pulsatilla is variation; the cramps and the flow of bleeding are changeable. The pains themselves are typically cutting and tearing and may be felt in the lower back or kidney region. Generally, you feel worse in warm, stuffy rooms and better in the fresh open air. Emotionally, you tend to be mild, gentle, and weepy when entering the menstrual state and prefer the company of other people to being alone.
VIBURNUM—Viburnum is indicated when the menses are very scanty and often late. In fact, they may last only a few hours. When you get cramps, the flow of blood stops. Cramps tend to radiate to the sacrum and the thighs. You may feel faint or feel like passing out.
CIMICIFUGA—Cimicifuga is indicated for spasmodic, cramping pains. The pain radiates across the pelvis from one thigh to the other. It is often associated with a premenstrual headache. Increased flow results in more pain. Emotionally, you may feel nervous to the point of being scattered and are often somewhat depressed.
CHAMOMILLA—Chamomilla is helpful if you are either hypersensitive or insensitive to pain. Emotionally, you tend to be irritable and contrary. Someone brings you something that you ask for, and then you don’t want it. During intense periods, you may become dependent on coffee and other stimulants and sedatives. Another symptom is anger. When you become angry, your symptoms become worse.
Marjoram, clary sage, and lavender are wonderful analgesics. Eighteen to 20 drops of oil added to a lotion or oil and massaged into the abdomen and lower back will help relieve menstrual pain. Breathing in the cooling fragrances of rose, lavender, or sandalwood can alleviate sharp, stabbing pain.
Deep abdominal breathing, meditation, tai chi, and other mind-body disciplines can help eliminate frustrations and anger that bring on pain. Additionally, it is helpful to slow down the pace of life from the time of ovulation to the period.
Amenorrhea and menorrhagia are medical terms for abnormal blood flow. Amenorrhea refers to the cessation of bleeding or very light and infrequent periods, most often caused by an abnormally functioning hypothalamus, pituitary gland, ovary, or uterus as a result of drugs or surgery that removes the ovaries or uterus. “Bulimics and anorexics also exhibit this pattern,” notes Dr. Pat Gorman. “Sometimes this is caused by excessive dieting and overexercise. Not accepting who she is, a woman thinks, ‘I’ve got to make myself thin, beautiful, and perfect.’ If this is going on at the end of the cycle, when toxins are being released into the system, the woman is aggravating her body to the point of saying, ‘We’re not going to give up this blood. We desperately need it. Forget ovulation, forget periods.’”
Dr. Ruth Bar-Shalom and Dr. John Soileau, naturopaths from Alaska, in an article on the website of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (www.naturopathic.org), list several other causes of amenorrhea. First, it happens normally after a woman stops using birth control pills, during pregnancy, and during all or most of the breast-feeding period. It is important to establish that pregnancy is not the reason for amenorrhea, since some of the remedies for this condition may harm the woman and her child while she is pregnant or nursing.
Malnutrition, crash diets, obesity, stress, intensive exercising, extreme obesity, abuse of antidepressants and amphetamines, and mental illness are other causes of amenorrhea, say Drs. Bar-Shalom and Soileau. When a young woman of 16 has not yet begun to develop sexually, when weight fluctuates dramatically, and when amenorrhea is accompanied by severe depression, drug use, or pain, consult a qualified health care professional.
With menorrhagia the opposite scenario occurs, and there is profuse bleeding. The condition can be debilitating, sometimes bad enough to warrant immediate attention in a hospital’s emergency ward. “The Chinese say menorrhagia is caused by excess toxins and heat in the blood from foods containing preservatives, additives, and caffeine, especially coffee. It’s like water in your car radiator becoming low,” Dr. Gorman says. “The engine will overheat and explode. Alcohol adds more toxicity because it constantly removes water from the blood. As water diminishes, it heats up the blood. When the blood is what we call ‘hot,’ or fast-moving, it’s very hard for the body to hold it in. It can’t stop the bleeding.” The emotional profile of a menorrhagic individual is someone who sees herself as a victim. Dr. Gorman explains: “This person feels the need to serve everybody. She does not know how to set boundaries. Whatever anybody wants, they get. She keeps pouring out her energy and pouring out her blood.”
Dr. Vicki Hufnagel, a gynecological surgeon and activist for women’s health rights, adds that heavy bleeding is often a sign of an underlying problem in the female system, especially when it is accompanied by pain. The problem is frequently because of a hormonal imbalance. “Anything can throw off a cycle,” she says, “including emotional stress, insomnia, too much estrogen in the system, or too little light, as in the winter. Other physical problems that can cause menorrhagia are fibroids, polyps, and a malfunctioning thyroid gland.”
Before you can restore the blood flow in patients with amenorrhea or menorrhagia, you must discover the reason for the problem. Once the cause is addressed, periods should return to normal.
Asian medicine can diagnose amenorrhea and menorrhagia by examining the skin. Amenorrhea manifests as pale, sallow, slightly yellowish skin from a deep lack of blood and nutrients. Often this is accompanied by a great deal of emotional anxiety. With menorrhagia, the tongue has a red tip and tiny red dots. When the condition is long term, a woman can become anemic.
Dr. Hufnagel says that hormonal dysfunctions in women with menorrhagia can be corrected with oral doses of natural progesterone. “Often the creams women use are not adequate because they don’t cause a rise in the blood level. We often have to give what we call oral physiological levels of progesterone. I give women natural hormones in a cyclic manner, the way the body should be getting them.”
Hormone balancing can also be accomplished through the diet. Fatty diets cause higher levels of estrogen in the system, which in turn can cause menor-rhagia. Lean diets and exercising with weights produce more testosterone, which in turn helps balance hormones and put an end to menorrhagia.
The late Dr. Anthony Penepent said that amenorrhea is one of the easiest conditions to correct. He recommends a diet that includes two green salads daily, using romaine lettuce, fresh lemon juice, olive oil, and some brewer’s yeast. You should also include two pieces of fresh fruit and two soft-boiled eggs in the daily menu. When amenorrhea is caused by a thyroid condition, a thyroid supplement is needed. Additionally, if stress is in the picture, the stressful situation must be remedied. For more serious cases, additional dietary intervention is necessary.
Usually, small changes in diet are all that is needed. Dr. Penepent said, “Even if the woman doesn’t follow a completely natural hygienic regimen and is not vegetarian, she can still get tremendous results simply by increasing the amount of green leafy vegetables in the diet and providing concentrated nutritional sources, such as eggs and unsalted raw-milk cheese.”
Drs. Bar-Shalom and Soileau add that women with amenorrhea need adequate protein, which means eating a number of grams per day equal to half your weight in pounds. They advocate fish and chicken instead of red meat, as well as nuts, seeds, and beans. Second, they advocate eating seaweed of all kinds.
Drs. Bar-Shalom and Soileau recommend the following supplements: 400 international units (IU) of vitamin E a day, 25 milligrams of B-complex vitamins a day, 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C twice a day, and 1,200 milligrams of calcium a day.
The following herbs are good for amenorrhea, say Drs. Bar-Shalom and Soileau:
GINGER TEA—Drink one to four cups of ginger tea each day (made from powder or grated fresh ginger).
BLAZING STAR, FALSE UNICORN, BLUE COHOSH, CHASTE TREE, AND ANGELICA—Mix together equal parts of these herbs and steep 1 tablespoon of the mixture in a cup of boiling water for twenty minutes. Drink three cups a day. You can also combine tinctures of these herbs. Drink 1 teaspoon of the mixed tinctures added to 1/4 cup of water three times a day.
The following Chinese herbs have specific effects on the blood and are needed at different times of the monthly cycle. Dr. Gorman recommends working with a health practitioner to create an individual protocol and monitor progress but offers these general guidelines.
At the beginning of the cycle:
DONG QUAI—High in vitamins A, E, and B12, this blood builder can be taken most days of the month, up to the point of menstruation, or just before it begins if there are strong premenstrual symptoms. “You don’t want to be building blood if you are having trouble moving that blood,” Dr. Gorman warns.
WOMEN’S PRECIOUS—This formula is a tremendous blood builder that is taken for about three weeks after the period ends. Women’s Rhythm is then used the following week.
At the end of the cycle:
GARDENIA—Gardenia is taken when the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) arise. By moving blood that is stuck, gardenia helps relieve that heavy, bloated feeling.
WOMEN’S RHYTHM—Women’s Rhythm helps release a woman’s blood. It is usually taken a week before the period to help move toxins out of the organs. (Women’s Precious and Women’s Rhythm are Ted Kapchik formulas that can be found in some health food stores and ordered directly from Kahn Herbs.)
Can be taken every day:
FLORADIX WITH IRON—This wonderful product is available in most health care stores. Liquid Floradix is superior to the dry form because it contains more live nutrients.
Drs. Bar-Shalom and Soileau stress the importance of focusing on deep breathing, consciously giving yourself periods of relaxation, and getting sufficient exercise to reduce stress as much as possible. Other suggestions include:
SITZ BATH—Make an infusion of a pound of oatstraw boiled for a half hour in 2 quarts of water and add it to warm bath water. Sit in the water, which should reach your navel, with your feet propped on a chair outside the tub. Cover your top so that you stay warm. Soak like this for ten to fifteen minutes once or twice a week.
CLAY COMPRESS—Sterilize clay by heating it in a low oven for an hour and then grind it and make a paste with water, or use the powdered French healing clay that you can buy in health food stores. Apply the paste to your abdomen, cover with a cloth, and leave until the paste dries.
CASTOR OIL PACK—Put a cloth soaked in castor oil on your abdomen, then cover with plastic and then a dry cloth. Rest for an hour.
Two homeopathic remedies are good for amenorrhea, according to Drs. BarShalom and Soileau:
NATRUM MURIATICUM is for amenorrhea that occurs after extreme mental strain in women who have trouble expressing emotion. Use the 12c potency.
PULSATILLA is for a woman who misses her periods after stressful and emotional situations. Take it in the 6c potency three times a day for three weeks or until the period begins.
Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a rare but serious and sometimes fatal disease. The victims tend to be tampon users under the age of thirty, especially those between fifteen and nineteen. The incidence of TSS has decreased over the past two decades due to manufacturing changes making tampons less absorbent, as well as education regarding prevention.
This sudden and serious disease affects persons with severely compromised immune systems who are poisoned by a strain of bacteria called Staphylococcus aureus, phage group I. This type of staph produces a substance called enterotoxin F, which can overpower and destroy a weak body.
Toxic shock syndrome is linked to the introduction of tampons with four new ingredients in the early 1980s. Before then tampons were made primarily of cotton. In the 1980s, though, highly absorbent polyester cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, polyacrylate rayon, and viscose rayon came into use. Three of these new ingredients were soon taken off the market; today only one of the new ingredients, viscose rayon, is in use. Today’s tampons are either entirely viscose rayon or a blend of cotton and viscose rayon. In addition, the tampons on the market today may contain an assortment of chemicals, including pesticides used in growing cotton, chemicals used in the manufacture of viscose rayon (lye, sodium sulfate, and sodium hydroxide), and dyes (some of which have been considered carcinogenic since the 1950s).
One theory about the cause of TSS is that the vagina is normally an oxygenfree environment that limits the growth of dangerous bacteria. However, air is trapped between the fibers that make up tampons. When that air is inserted in the vagina along with the tampon, the possibility of toxin production increases. Even after the tampon is removed, some of its fibers may remain.
TSS was originally thought to affect only women who wore high-absorbency tampons, but now it is known to affect newborns, children, and men as well. The initial indications can include a high fever, headache, sore throat, diarrhea, nausea, and red skin blotches. These signs can be followed by confusion, low blood pressure, acute kidney failure, abnormal liver function, and even death.
A severe case of TSS is a medical emergency that may necessitate hospitalization. However, there are many natural ways to support the system once a crisis is over for quick recovery and prevention of recurrence.
Dr. Linda Page, author of Healthy Healing: An Alternative Healing Reference, developed a protocol for healing from TSS out of necessity. “I actually came close to death on an operating table from TSS. I had to bring my body back, and I did it herbally. It took a couple of years, and now I can speak from experience.”
Dr. Page’s personal ordeal gave her a great deal of confidence in the power of natural remedies. The following herbs helped her overcome toxicity, restore immunity, and return to health:
GINSENG—Both Panax ginseng and Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng) varieties are general tonics that balance and tone all body systems as well as improving the circulation. Ginseng should not be used when there is a high fever.
CAYENNE AND GINGER—These nervous system stimulants can help the body recover from shock. They can be taken internally or applied to the skin in compresses.
HAWTHORN EXTRACT—Hawthorn speeds up and normalizes the circulation and restores a sense of well-being.
In addition to herbs, Dr. Page ate supernutritious foods that could be easily digested and quickly utilized by her failing system. These foods included highpotency royal jelly, bee pollen, wheat germ, brewer’s yeast, and unsulfured molasses. The addition of green drinks, including chlorella, barley grass, spirulina, and wheatgrass, supplied her with high potencies of vital minerals. “All these go into the body very quickly and help it recover even from a near-death situation,” explains Dr. Page. “By going on a program of concentrated nutrients, I was eventually able to create a state of health that was better than before.”
Limiting use of tampons, sponges, and diaphragms may prevent TSS. Tampons that are 100 percent cotton and thus present less risk than do modern superabsorbent tampons that may also contain added chemicals are available in many health food and natural goods stores.
An increasing body of evidence is showing the benefits of natural modalities to overall health and well-being. Following is a sample of recent peer-reviewed scientific studies relating to menstrual cramps and irregular menstruation.
A review and analysis of randomized clinical trials published in a 2015 report in Pain Medicine provided suggestive evidence for the effectiveness of ginger powder (750–2,000 mg) during the first three to four days of the menstrual cycle in women with primary dysmenorrhea. According to a 2014 study in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, acupuncture point injection of vitamin K1 was useful in reducing pain associated with dysmenorrhea. The authors noted that this outcome was consistent with findings from the Chinese hospital where the protocol was developed.