When Period Problems Take Over: Finding Relief Naturally

When Period Problems Take Over: Finding Relief Naturally

Nutritional Therapist, Naturopath, Herbalist, Kinesiologist, Behavioural Iridologist, Vitalist…what this month’s guest practitioner Izzy Seadon doesn’t know about natural health is not worth knowing! This month she joins us to discuss women’s hormone health.

Let’s face it - a woman’s periods can range from delightful to dire. In fact, for many women, they present a monthly challenge. From irregular cycles to heavy bleeding or agonizing cramps, almost every woman has faced some kind of issue with her menstrual cycle at some point.

The average Western woman will menstruate around 500 times in her life. To put that in perspective that’s the equivalent to 6.5 years. For many women, this could mean 6.5 years spent managing pain, discomfort, and disruption.

If this sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone—96% of women have experienced period pain at some point in their lives and 30% of women report having heavy periods.

We will be exploring these common menstrual issues, and the good news is there are ways to support the body naturally to find relief. We hope by understanding your periods better can help you take control and feel more in harmony with your cycle.

So, what are painful periods?

Period pain (known in the medical world as dysmenorrhea) is one of the most common complaints among menstruating women. The pain can range from mild discomfort to severe, debilitating cramps.

There are two kinds of period pain:

  • Primary Dysmenorrhea: Our understanding is that period pain is caused by high levels of hormone-like chemicals called prostaglandins. These prostaglandins are there to stimulate uterine contractions to shed the uterine lining (a fancy way of saying to start bleeding). However, too many prostaglandins can lead to severe cramping with an over-stimulated uterus. This can be exacerbated by nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, stress and hormonal imbalance.
  • Secondary Dysmenorrhea: This is when the period pain is caused by an underlying condition such as endometriosis, fibroids, or pelvic inflammatory disease. Therefore, we would want to be looking into the root cause of these issues as well.

It’s important to note that period pain can go beyond cramps to also include nausea, vomiting, headaches, back pain, diarrhoea and more. While conventional treatments like painkillers and hormonal contraceptives can provide relief, many women are interested in natural solutions that address both the symptoms and their root causes.

If that’s you, then we’ve got you covered! Let’s find out more…

Natural Remedies for Period Pain

1. Optimising Nutrition

The prostaglandins that could be causing pain are made from omega-6 fatty acids. These specific types of fats are high in vegetable oils and processed foods. The omega-6 fatty acids can be pro-inflammatory if not balanced with enough omega-3 fatty acids.
Therefore, by changing what you eat could help reduce period pain! Unfortunately, the standard Western diet means that most people have too much omega-6 in relation to omega-3. Focusing on balancing your intake of fats can help lower prostaglandin levels and reduce inflammation.

So how do we do this?

  • Increase Omega-3s: These anti-inflammatory fats are found in oily fish, flaxseeds, walnuts, and grass-fed meat.
  • Reduce Omega-6s: Limit processed foods and vegetable oils (like sunflower or rapeseed oil).

Other nutrients that could help reduce period pain include:

  • Magnesium: This mineral relaxes muscles and lowers prostaglandins, easing cramps. High sources of magnesium include pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, black beans, mackerel, avocado and the best news is it’s also high in dark chocolate!
  • Vitamin D: Get out into the sunshine! Have you noticed everything feels better whilst on holiday? Vitamin D also has anti-inflammatory properties that can alleviate pain. Use the app D-Minder to find out when best to get outside to be exposed to vitamin D in your location.
  • Zinc: This mineral is a favourite for many hormonal issues but can also regulate prostaglandin production. Up your oysters, beef liver, cashews and lentils for some great zinc sources!

Top tip: Inflammation is a key driver of pain so some people find removing or reducing potentially inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, soy etc. can really help their symptoms. Everyone is unique so find what works for you!

2. Manage Stress

We all know chronic stress can impact our health but there could be a direct connection between stress and period pain. Cortisol gets produced by our adrenals when we are stressed, and higher levels of cortisol can increase inflammation and disrupt our hormones resulting in more period pain.

Incorporating practices like tai chi, meditation, or breathwork can help reduce stress but if you are already feeling overwhelmed then you could also try using herbs like Motherwort, Passionflower and Lemon balm which can all help bring you back into a calmer state. You might then find that creating space in your schedule for that meditation session feels more achievable.

Motherwort is one of my favourite soothing herbs that reduces stress-related cramping and improves blood flow to the uterus. It can also help regulate the menstrual cycle and support liver function. Its botanical name, Leonurus cardiaca, says it all as it means heart of a lion reflecting its ability to provide strength under stress.

This is why it is one of the key ingredients in the Hello Hormones formula helping many women get relief for their symptoms.

3. Improve Circulation and Warm the Uterus

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, period pain is caused by cold stagnation in the uterus. Western medicine may dismiss this understanding as unscientific but who hasn’t been helped by a hot water bottle?!

Therefore, adding in warming herbs that stimulate blood flow and reducing stagnation is one of my favourite ways to reduce period pain.

We do have the science to back it up too, for example, the fiery herb ginger was shown to be as effective as NSAIDs in relieving pain. Ginger contains compounds called gingerols and shogaols which have also been shown to reduce prostaglandin levels. There is research also showing the benefits of other warming herbs such as cinnamon and fennel. Fennel was found to be more effective at relieving pain than mefenamic acid in one study!

We love that cinnamon, ginger and fennel are accessible to get in the supermarket and taste delicious so they are also easy to incorporate as teas, drinks and powders. To make it even easier, the fabulous fennel seed is found in Hello Hormones so it’s there for you in capsule form.

Another way to upgrade your hot water bottle is to add a castor oil pack. Castor oil is rich in ricinoleic acid, a fatty acid that promotes blood flow and reduces inflammation. Soak a cloth in castor oil, use a towel to wrap around the cloth (it’s very sticky) and cover with a hot water bottle to pack over your abdomen to ease cramps and help relax your body.

Trust us, just incorporating these three principles could transform your monthly cycles!

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