Improve Your Diet to Alleviate Period Cramps
Reducing fat and increasing vegetables in your diet may
help ease monthly cramps. "A low-fat diet actually
decreases overall levels of inflammation in the body," says
Aldo Palmieri MD , an ob/gyn at UCLA Health and professor
of ob/gyn at the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine in
Los Angeles. A low-fat, vegetarian diet not only helps your
health generally, says Dr. Palmieri, but it can have an
indirect yet noticeable effect on menstrual cramps, too.
Trying to achieve a healthier diet? To start, swap out less
healthy fats like the saturated fats found in animal products,
and choose healthier ones like unsaturated fats found in
olive oil, suggests the American Heart Association (AHA) .
And if you’re having dairy, pick low-fat or fat-free products.
Overall, try to get 25 to 35 percent of your total daily
calories from healthier fats found in fish, nuts, and
vegetable oils, the AHA suggests. A balanced plate is
essential; examples can be found at the healthy eating plate
site from Harvard .
2. Pop a Safe Painkiller
Not everyone wants to turn to medicine to soothe period
cramps, but moderate use of a nonsteroidal anti-
inflammatory medication (NSAID), such as ibuprofen or
naproxen, can help, Palmieri says. Menstrual cramps occur
due to local release of substances called prostaglandins, he
explains, and NSAIDs lower prostaglandin production and
decrease overall inflammation and pain.
Check first with your doctor to be sure NSAIDs are a good
choice for you, especially if you have a history of bleeding or
kidney issues. And read the label for dosing instructions to
be sure you don't accidentally take too many.
3. Turn to Tea to Calm Menstrual Cramps
Certain teas may help relieve menstrual cramps, says
Sonya Angelone, RDN in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Research on herbal teas for menstrual pain relief is scarce,
say experts, but teas have been used traditionally and can
help. Because some of the herbs may act as estrogens, ask
your doctor first before using one, especially if you have a
history of a hormone-related cancer or take blood-thinning
drugs.
One example of an herbal tea that people use for menstrual
discomfort is cramp bark, according to the University of
Maryland Medical Center . Boil 2 teaspoons of the bark in a
cup of water, simmer for about 15 minutes, and drink it
three times a day. Just clear this remedy with your doctor
first, especially if you're on diuretics for blood pressure or
on lithium.
Tea with peppermint oil may also help, Angelone says. She
advises her patients with cramps to start sipping the tea
that gives them relief a week or so before they expect their
period. Ask your doctor if that might work for you.
4. Try Fish Oil and Vitamin B1
Another natural route to period cramp relief is taking fish oil
supplements, vitamin B1, or both, according to research
published in September 2014 in the Global Journal of Health
Science . Scientists assigned 240 teens with menstrual
cramps and other pain to take B1 and fish oil, B1 alone, fish
oil alone, or a placebo. The teens took 100 milligrams (mg)
per day of B1 and 500 mg daily of fish oil supplements.
When the teens reported their pain, those taking either the
fish oil, B1, or both had significantly less pain than the
placebo group. The pain also didn't last as long if they
took fish oil or B1.
5. Needle Away Period Cramps
Acupuncture can help relieve cramps, says Jeannie Bianchi ,
a licensed acupuncturist in San Francisco. "We're relaxing
the nervous system," she says, which causes more robust
blood flow to the internal organs. The acupuncture is
thought to have an anti-inflammatory effect.
In a January 2011 Cochrane review, experts looked at six
studies that studied the effects of acupuncture on period
cramps . They compared acupuncture with no treatment or
conventional treatment (such as anti-inflammatory drugs)
on 673 women. And in another four studies, they compared
the effects of acupuncture versus no treatment or
conventional treatment in 271 women.
Overall, they found that both acupuncture and acupressure
could reduce pain, but concluded that more evaluation was
needed to be sure.
6. Massage With Essential Oils for Pain Relief
Using certain aromatic essential oils and massage can also
relieve menstrual cramp pain, according to a study
published in May 2012 in the Journal of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology Research . Investigators assigned 48 women
with menstrual cramps and other symptoms to massage
either essential oils or a synthetic fragrance on their lower
abdomen. The women used a mixture of diluted essential
oils from the end of one period to the beginning of the next.
Lavender, clary sage, and marjoram were used in a 2-1-1
ratio, and the essential oils were diluted to a 3 percent
concentration overall in an unscented cream (a solution
created, for example, by adding 3 milliliters (ml) of essential
oils to 97 ml of an unscented cream).
Women in both groups reported less pain, but the essential
oils group did better. Based on the women's reports,
researchers found that the duration of pain was reduced
from 2.4 to 1.8 days after self-massaging with essential
oils.
7. Curl Up With a Heating Pad to Ease Period
Cramps
"[Using] a heating pad has been studied, and it seems to
work," says Palmieri. In fact, one small study published in
2001 in Evidence-Based Nursing found that topically applied
heat was just as effective as ibuprofen for period cramps.
Examples of over-the-counter medicines containing
ibuprofen include Advil and Motrin .
The researchers assigned 84 women who had cramps to
one of four groups. One used a combination of a heated
patch and ibuprofen (200 mg every 6 hours). A second
group used an unheated (placebo) patch and ibuprofen. A
third group used a heated patch and a placebo pill. A fourth
group, the control, was given an unheated patch and a
placebo pill.
Over the two study days, the women using heat plus
ibuprofen, heat alone, and ibuprofen alone reported greater
pain relief than those on the placebo. Women using heat
with ibuprofen did not report differences in pain relief
compared to those using ibuprofen alone. But with heat,
they experienced faster improvement in pain relief: about 90
minutes after starting, compared to nearly three hours for
those taking medicine alone. More women who used both
heat and ibuprofen reported complete pain relief compared
to those in the control group, the researchers found.
A review of studies published in March 2014 in the Journal of
Physiotherapy found that heat reduced women’s period pain
significantly.
8. Boost Endorphins Your Way
In addition to their pain-relieving effect, endorphins can also
boost your mood . Having an orgasm releases endorphins,
Palmieri says. Working out does as well. Perhaps the last
thing you want to even think about while in the midst of
cramps is exercise, but that can boost endorphins and help
chase away pain.
A report published in March 2015 in the Journal of Family
Reproductive Health indicates that both aerobic exercise and
stretching helped soothe period cramps for 105 students in
the study.
9. Up the Magnesium in Your Diet
Getting more dietary magnesium seems to help ease the
pain of cramps, says DeJarra Sims, ND , assistant professor
of naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University’s California
campus in San Diego and author of Your Healthiest Life
Now . Indeed a Cochrane review of dietary and other
remedies published in 2001 concluded that getting
enough magnesium can help relieve pain.
Magnesium is found in many foods and as a supplement if
you can’t get what you need from your diet. Magnesium
helps regulate nerve and muscle functioning, among other
vital tasks; researchers who evaluated the evidence on
magnesium call it a promising treatment for menstrual
cramps. But they cannot recommend a specific dose,
because researchers have studied various doses. The
recommended dietary allowance of magnesium for women
of childbearing age is about 320 mg daily. An ounce of dry
almonds or one half cup of boiled spinach each has about
80 mg.