Menstrual cramps are more than a frustration – they’re an indication that something is not right in your body. In this article, you’ll find out what to do and how to prevent them.
You are looking for homemade ways to get rid of period cramps, right? Or are you really going to go to the doctor and depend on toxic medications as your treatment?
Vitamins and Minerals Do Work For Relieving Menstrual Cramps
First of all, let’s look at your vitamins and minerals that are great for menstrual cramps. There are some nutritionists and natural healing experts that believe that most symptoms such as menstrual cramps are caused by vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
With this in mind, there are three primary nutrients good for relief of cramps.
1. Calcium – Without calcium, your muscles can’t relax and contract as they should. If you’re of the mindset that dairy products are evil, you can expect you have a calcium deficiency and menstrual cramps. It’s pretty much a given. Calcium-rich foods are primarily dairy products, which means milk, cottage cheese, cheese, sour cream, yogurt and kefir milk.
The dosage of calcium you need is 800 mg daily, which is usually divided into three doses a day. There are different forms such as calcium citrate, calcium carbonate, oyster shell calcium, and calcium blends on the market.
2. Magnesium – This mineral is one of the minerals on the list of top 10 deficiencies people get. The dosage is 300 to 400 mg magnesium oxide or citrate daily. Don’t exceed two dosages daily.
3. Vitamin E – Many people forget that vitamin E is important for muscles to contract and relax too. A supplement of 400 IU works well if this vitamin is low in your body. Don’t exceed a dosage of 800 IU daily.
4. Period vitamin – You might as well simply get enough vitamins and minerals all in one capsule – and that’s a Period Vitamin. This combination of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and additional supplements is geared directly towards women who are having their periods. It’s taken throughout the entire menstrual cycle. Dosage is one per day.
5. Calcium/magnesium liquid – These types of liquids usually contain about 500 mg calcium and 250 mg magnesium with 250 mg phosphorus per tablespoon. One tablespoon twice daily is very helpful for cramps.
Are There Home Remedies That Aren’t Vitamins and Minerals?
Next is the category of home remedies for period cramps.
1. Hot packs – When you buy an enema bag at the drug store, the quart-sized bag has a double purpose – for the enema and also to be used as a hot pack. Simply fill up the bag with 1 quart very hot water. Lay the hot pack on your abdomen over the cramping area.
2. Homemade heating pad – You can also make your own homemade heating pad instead of using the enema bag hot water bottle. Boil water in a pot and insert a hand towel in the water. Remove the towel carefully and then squeeze out the excess water. Next fold it into the size that matches the area of the abdomen that is cramping.
Lay three towel layers on your abdomen, and then put the wet towel on top. Cover with another few dry towels. Let the heat pass through the towels to your abdomen. This takes about 10 minutes. Let the homemade heating pad then diffuse its heat into your abdomen to relieve the pain. You can do this as often as necessary when the cramps are at their absolute worst.
3. Yoga – Some people say yoga for menstrual cramps helps them tremendously. Personally I haven’t found this to be true. Any posture that affects the abdomen would be a posture to do. For example, you could do the cobra position.
4. Exercise – Working out for relieving cramps is something that some women say works. Others can’t get their mind off the pain no matter what type of exercise they do.
Diet is a Weapon to Ward Off Menstrual Cramps
Diet is a big part of your health so you should always know what to eat and what not to eat. What to eat to cure your menstrual cramps varies slightly depending on the country you live in. There are different remedies, but one of the most common one is a glass of warm milk. The milk contains calcium which relaxes the body and relieves the cramps.
Thus, any food recipe that contains milk is a natural remedy for period cramps. This could mean eggnog, milkshake (when real milk is used), ice cream, yogurt, kefir milk, soup made with milk, and other foods with milk as an ingredient are potential remedies.
What Not to Eat is Just as Important as What To Eat
What not to eat includes all foods that contain sugar, corn oil, vegetable oil, soy oil, artificial preservatives, food colorings, canola oil, breaded foods, wheat, anything with bread or wheat in it, and artificial sweeteners. Avoid sweetened beverages that contain high fructose corn syrup or any fructose for that matter, as the sugar robs the body of calcium, which then creates cramps. Don’t avoid meat – this is a myth that it causes cramps.
Foods that contain minerals such as calcium and magnesium from the leafy green category are always helpful in preventing menstrual cramps. Mustard greens, collard greens, steamed with a little flavor added to them are remedies for menstrual cramps so write these ones down as food recipes you can start with when you have cramps.
Here’s a potential menu for the entire day when you have cramps:
Breakfast: oatmeal with 1 glass milk and a teaspoon of dolomite powder (a supplement that is high in calcium and magnesium), chamomile tea
Lunch: half sandwich sesame tahini/grape preserves no sugar on whole grain bread, 2 slices cheese, collard greens, valerian tea, chocolate pudding
Dinner: roasted chicken with brown rice, broccoli with cheese, figs or fig pudding
Snacks: Carrot parsley romaine lettuce juice with kelp and cayenne pepper
What Herbs Do I Use for Cramps?
You can always include herbal remedies in your list of homemade remedies for period cramps. These may include tea and drinks.
1. Valerian root – 1 teaspoon dried root per cup boiling water. One cup daily.
2. Chamomile tea – 1 teaspoon dried tea per cup boiling water. Up to a quart daily.
3. Vegetable juices (contain minerals that help relax period cramps) – one pint daily, without a lot of fruit in it
4. Distilled water – up to 3 quarts daily
Use Reflexology to Eliminate Cramps
Acupressure on the bottom of the feet can also help. To do this yourself, bring your foot closest to your hand. Then start systematically pressing on different points on the bottom of the feet. Start at the heel, move up to the center of the feet, then the ball of the feet and finally the toes. Hold every tender point by pressing in on it for at least 30 seconds. What this will do is release a reflex relaxation in different parts of the body. It will take you about 20 minutes to complete this task but it will energize you and relieve cramps.
Can You Alter How You Cook and Get Cramp Relief?
In case you are looking for 6 best homemade remedies for menstrual cramps, you would have to make use of dolomite powder, calcium powder, or calcium/magnesium powder as an ingredient. For example, one teaspoon dolomite powder contains 1100 mg calcium and 630 mg magnesium. That’s enough for menstrual cramp relief.
So when you make your next muffin recipe with a yield of 12 muffins you can add 6 teaspoons dolomite powder to the batter. This means for every 2 muffins you will get the dosage to eliminate menstrual cramps. This is equivalent to a muffin for breakfast and one for dinner to provide cramp relief for the whole day.
You could even add a teaspoon to a double recipe for a smoothie. Calcium and magnesium should always be taken in smaller dosages, not a whole 1100 mg calcium at one time. So add a half teaspoon to your smoothie for breakfast.
You could also add a few teaspoons to your waffle recipe since a waffle recipe makes quite a few waffles. Do the same for pancakes, breads, and puddings.
As you can see, there are plenty of good solutions for period cramps.
